Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disorder that typically affects the small joints in your hands and feet.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system – which normally protects its health by attacking foreign substances like bacteria and viruses – mistakenly attacks the joints. This creates inflammation that causes the tissue that lines the inside of joints (the synovium) to thicken, resulting in swelling and pain in and around the joints.

In the early stages, people with RA may not initially see redness or swelling in the joints, but they may experience tenderness and pain.

• Joint pain, tenderness, swelling or stiffness for six weeks or longer
• Morning stiffness for 30 minutes or longer
• The same joints on both sides of the body are affected
• Pain that goes away after resting

Initial treatment will involve thorough medical history and physical exam, including the patient’s symptoms. To help detect Rheumatoid Arthritis, Robert Louis, MD will request diagnostic imaging to find the exact location of affected joints causing the symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Computerized tomography (CT Scan): CT scan may aid in determining the exact location of disc causing the nerve root and spinal cord compression.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): Advanced cases of Cervical Osteoarthritis show abnormal signal within the spinal cord on MRI imaging. In case of atrophy of the spinal cord due to nerve cell loss, also referred to as myelomalacia, surgical outcomes may not be as promising.

X-rays: Application of radiation to produce a film or picture of a part of the body can show the structure of the vertebrae and the outline of the joints.

Dr. Louis’s goal of Rheumatoid Arthritis treatment is to stop inflammation, relieve symptoms, prevent joint and organ damage, and to improve physical function and overall well being. These treatments include medications to ease symptoms and to reduce inflammation. In some cases, those with permanent joint damage might consider a joint replacement surgery to relieve pain and restore function in joints damaged by Rheumatoid Arthritis.