A recent international panel of rheumatoid arthritis experts convened and presented multiple recommendations for treating arthritis. The findings were published in the Journal of Rheumatology.

Here are seven of those recommendations from their systematic literature review.

1. Acetaminophen is recommended for the treatment of persistent arthritis pain.

2. Giving corticosteroids into the bloodstream or taken orally should be avoided in the routine pain management of rheumatoid arthritis when inflammatory signs and symptoms are not present.

3. Muscle relaxants or benzodiazepines such as Valium are not recommended for usage. Tricyclic antidepressants and neuromodulators such as Gabapentin, however, were recommended by the panel along with traditional medications.

4. Narcotics were recommended for short term Arizona pain management only when other treatments such as acetaminophen have failed, and long-term use or stronger opioids should only be used in extreme cases. Both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis flare up severely from time to time, and opioids may help mitigate those rough times. Using them chronically, however, is not a good idea.

5. If acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories are not working well enough, a different anti-inflammatory should be tried. Two or more nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories should not be tried together at the same time. There becomes a risk of ulcers and kidney problems if multiple are used together.

6. Using acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories can be used along with methotrexate safely with standard doses.

7. The lowest effective dose of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories should be used to minimize the potential complication of renal or G.I. problems.

Inflammatory arthritis such as the rheumatoid variety or severe osteoarthritis may cause significant pain and disability. The board-certified pain management doctors at Arizona Pain Specialists help individuals avoid surgery for these conditions.

If you live in the Phoenix or Scottsdale metropolitan area and suffer from arthritis, call the Arizona pain clinic today that gets results at 602-507-6550.