Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment and Pain Relief in Maryland
Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms don't have to control your life fully. If you're having trouble walking, sitting, standing, exercising, or completing your everyday tasks due to your rheumatoid arthritis symptoms, it's time to visit a specialist. Greater Maryland Pain Management has decades of experience diagnosing and treating rheumatoid arthritis in Odenton, Crofton, Annapolis, Edgewater, Prince Fredrick, Leonardtown, Catonsville, and the greater Maryland area. We understand that each patient has unique symptoms and needs, so we work closely with each one to create the most effective rheumatoid arthritis treatment plan for them.
Understand What Rheumatoid Arthritis Is
Recognize Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms
Recognizing early warning signs of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms means we can offer early intervention. The sooner you seek rheumatoid arthritis treatment, the more likely it is to be successful. We can also slow the disease's progression and help you live a happier, healthier life. These symptoms can include:
- Tender, warm, swollen, or inflamed joints
- Stiff joints that worsen in the mornings or after inactivity
- Fatigue and muscle weakness
- Fever
- Loss of appetite
- Difficulty moving, exercising, standing, sitting, walking
- Pain when using your limbs or stretching
- Interruption of your normal work or home routine due to your symptoms
How We Diagnose Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis
When you visit us to discuss your rheumatoid arthritis symptoms in Prince Fredrick, MD, we will explain our diagnostic processes. There are a few different ways that we can evaluate your symptoms and lifestyle and diagnose the disease in its early stages:
- Physical Examination – We will do a physical examination to check your joints for swelling, fluid retention, stiffness, loss of mobility, redness, inflammation, and warmth. We might also test your muscle strength, reflexes, dexterity, mobility, posture, and gait.
- Discussion of Medical History – We will discuss your symptoms, medical history, and family medical history. We will determine if you have any risk factors for arthritis.
- Blood Tests – In the later stages of rheumatoid arthritis, you might have elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) or C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. This might show evidence of inflammatory processes in the body. We will also run blood tests to check for rheumatoid factors and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies.
- Imaging Tests – We may use X-rays to rule out other conditions and look for signs of damage or degeneration of the joints. We can also use X-rays, MRI scans, and ultrasound scans to track the progression of the disease and evaluate its severity.
Our Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment Options
There is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis, but we might be able to slow the progression of the disease and ease symptoms. With the right rheumatoid arthritis treatment, the disease can go into remission. This is most likely to happen with early intervention and medical treatment. There are many treatments for rheumatoid arthritis in Leonardtown, MD, including:
- Interventional Procedures – We will discuss your symptoms, risk factors, lifestyle, goals, and needs to determine the best course of treatment. We work closely with each patient to find the best treatment plan with the highest chances of success. We never use a ‘one size fits all’ approach, as we recognize that each patient is unique and has unique needs.
- Medication Management – We’ll develop a carefully designed regimen of drugs, medications, and supplements that can fight the progression of rheumatoid arthritis and treat symptoms. This might include steroids, NSAIDs, conventional DMARDs, targeted synthetic DMARDs, or biological agents. We might also recommend changes to your diet and nutrition, exercise routine, overall lifestyle, and alternative medicine treatments, vitamins, and supplements.
- Trigger Point Injections – If your rheumatoid arthritis is causing joint and muscle pain, trigger point injections can target the source of the pain and relax the muscle. This can ease pain and inflammation and improve circulation, range of motion, and mobility.
- Prolotherapy – Prolotherapy can stimulate your body’s natural healing processes and cell and tissue regrowth. If rheumatoid arthritis has caused damage to your tissues, prolotherapy can help you recover and heal faster.
Contact Us for Help With Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms
Don’t ignore symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in Catonsville, MD. Call us at Greater Maryland Pain Management to explore your treatment options. Our dedicated team of board-certified physicians can find the most effective, long-term treatment option for rheumatoid arthritis symptoms so you can get back to living your normal, pain-free life. If you're ready to seek a diagnosis and treatment for rheumatoid arthritis in Odenton, Crofton, Annapolis, Edgewater, Prince Fredrick, Leonardtown, or Catonsville, MD, call us or request an appointment online through our website.