Non-surgical Arthritis Treatments

Treating Arthritis without Surgery

BIDMC offers various treatment options to address the painful symptoms of arthritis.

Physical Therapy
In arthritic joints, stiffness and pain can worsen if you’re not being active enough. Physical therapists can teach you how to work out this stiffness and improve your mobility. They will provide a tailored strengthening and stretching program and a range of therapeutic techniques that will relieve stress on your joints.

Medications and Injections
Your doctor may prescribe non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory medications to ease the pain. Injecting corticosteroids (often called cortisone shots) can also help target joint inflammation thus reducing pain.

Integrative Care Techniques
Integrative medicine treatments such as acupuncture or massage, and various forms of exercise, such as yoga, may help reduce the symptoms of arthritis.

When these non-surgical options are no longer effective in relieving day-to-day arthritis symptoms, you may wish to consider joint replacement surgery.