Depending on the level of pain and damage suffered by a patient, a physician will recommend a treatment regimen that will relieve symptoms. Some of the most common recommendations include avoiding activities that make the pain worse, ice the knee for 20 to 30 minutes throughout the day to reduce inflammation, use over the counter anti-inflammatory medications, paracetamol (acetaminophen) and physical therapy.

Topical creams and patches can also be used for pain treatment and they have been proven to reduce pain by 33 to 57%.

Exercises can help increase range of motion and flexibility as well as help strengthen the muscles in the leg. Physical therapy and exercise are often effective in reducing pain and improving function. Working with a physical therapist to find exercises that promote function without risking further injury is effective for most patients. Many of the exercises used can be performed while sitting in a chair or standing in place. They are performed so that additional stress or weight is not placed on the knee joint. Water exercises are highly recommended along with the use of elastic bands.

Supportive devices like knee braces can be used. In most cases, the arthritis is centered on a single side of the knee, so braces are effective in providing stability to one side. Two different forms of braces are available. A support brace provides the aid the entire knee requires, where an up-loader brace shifts the pressure away from the specific part of the knee that is experiencing the pain. Shoes or inserts that are considered to be energy absorbing are found useful for some patients as well as walking devices like a cane. Shoe insoles that are fitted to correct flat feet have provided relief to many patients.

The use of oral steroids and anti-inflammatory medicines help to reduce the amount of inflammation and pain felt in the knee. If over the counter medicines like ibuprofen or naproxen are not strong enough, prescription strength medicines are used. If oral medicine and physical therapy don't help your knee enough, doctors may consider giving patients injections with pain medicine. Hyaluronic acid is present in the knee, but injections of it can be used to protect the joint when the cartilage becomes thinner and can't do it alone. These injections can provide more pain relief than oral medications lasting from six months to a year.

Surgery is the final option but may be required to relieve symptoms. Arthroscopy is performed through tiny cuts where damaged parts of the knee can be removed. Osteotomy is performed to reshape the bones in the knee and is only performed if one side of the knee is damaged. Arthroplasty is a replacement surgery where an artificial joint is used.

Low level laser therapy can be considered for relief of pain and stiffness associated with osteoarthritis.

No treatment has been found to be routinely effective. NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors are not generally helpful other than for general pain relief. They do not seem to help reduce effusions or prevent their occurrence. Low-dose colchicine (and some other ‘anti-rheumatic’ therapies e.g. hydroxychloroquine) have been used with some success. (Use of methotrexate and intramuscular gold have not been reported in the literature). More aggressive treatments such as synovectomy, achieved using intra-articular agents (chemical or radioactive) can provide good results, with efficacy reported for at least 1 year.

Reducing acute joint swelling:

Arthrocentesis (or drainage of joint) may be useful to relieve joint swelling and improve range of motion. Local steroid injections can also reduce fluid accumulation short-term, but do not prevent onset of episodes. These treatments provide temporary relief only. Bed rest, ice packs splints and exercise are ineffective.

A single case report of a patient with treatment-refractory IH describes the use of anakinra, an interleukin 1 receptor antagonist. At the first sign of any attack, a single 100 mg dose was given. With this dosing at onset of attacks, each episode of effusion was successfully terminated.

Reducing frequency and severity of IH episodes:

Case reports indicate some success using long-term, low-dose colchicine (e.g. 0.5 mg to 1 mg daily). A recent single case report has shown hydroxychloroquine (300 mg daily) to be effective too.

Small-sized clinical trials have shown positive results with (1) chemical and (2) radioactive synovectomy. (1) Setti et al. treated 53 patients with rifampicin RV (600 mg intra-articular injections weekly for approximately 6 weeks) with good results at 1 year follow-up. (2) Top and Cross used single doses of intra-articular radioactive gold in 18 patients with persistent effusions of mixed causes including 3 with IH. All 3 patients with IH responded well to treatment at one-year follow-up.

In most cases sacroiliitis can be treated without surgery. Often patients will find relief through a combination of rest, heat / ice therapy and anti-inflammatory medication, like ibuprofen. Together these simple treatments help reduce inflammation and allow the body to deliver healing nutrients to the affected SI joints.

For more severe forms of sacroiliitis, sacroiliac joint injections might be recommended to help combat symptoms. If chosen, a physician will inject a numbing agent, usually lidocaine, and a steroid containing powerful anti-inflammatory medication into the joint using fluoroscopic guidance. These steroid injections can be delivered up to three or four times a year and should be accompanied with physical therapy to help rehabilitate the affected joint.

Medication is not the primary treatment for hypermobility, but can be used as an adjuct treatment for related joint pain. NSAIDS are the primary medications of choice. Narcotics are not recommended for primary or long term treatment and are reserved for short term use after acute injury.

The pain medication acetaminophen is the first line treatment for osteoarthritis. However, a 2015 review found acetaminophen to only have a small short-term benefit. For mild to moderate symptoms effectiveness is similar to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), though for more severe symptoms NSAIDs may be more effective. NSAIDs such as naproxen, while more effective in severe cases, are associated with greater side effects, such as gastrointestinal bleeding. Diclofenac may be the most effective NSAID.

Another class of NSAIDs, COX-2 selective inhibitors (such as celecoxib) are equally effective when compared to nonselective NSAIDs, and have lower rates of adverse gastrointestinal effects, but higher rates of cardiovascular disease such as myocardial infarction. They are also more expensive than non-specific NSAIDs. Benefits and risks vary in individuals and need consideration when making treatment decisions. NSAIDS applied topically are effective for a small number of people.

Failure to achieve desired pain relief in osteoarthritis after 2 weeks should trigger reassessment of dosage and pain medication. Opioids by mouth, including both weak opioids such as tramadol and stronger opioids, are also often prescribed. Their appropriateness is uncertain, and opioids are often recommended only when first line therapies have failed or are contraindicated. This is due to their small benefit and relatively large risk of side effects. Oral steroids are not recommended in the treatment of osteoarthritis.

There are several NSAIDs available for topical use, including diclofenac. A Cochrane review from 2016 concluded that reasonably reliable evidence is available only for use of topical diclofenac and ketoprofen in people aged over 40 years with painful knee arthritis. Transdermal opioid pain medications are not typically recommended in the treatment of osteoarthritis. The use of topical capsaicin to treat osteoarthritis is controversial, as some reviews found benefit while others did not.

Joint injection of glucocorticoids (such as hydrocortisone) leads to short term pain relief that may last between a few weeks and a few months. Injections of hyaluronic acid have not produced improvement compared to placebo for knee arthritis, but did increase risk of further pain. In ankle osteoarthritis, evidence is unclear. The effectiveness of injections of platelet-rich plasma is unclear; there are suggestions that such injections improve function but not pain, and are associated with increased risk. A 2015

A 2015 Cochrane review found that intra-articular corticosteroid injections of the knee did not benefit quality of life and had no effect on knee joint space; clinical effects one to six weeks after injection could not be determined clearly due to poor study quality. Another 2015 study reported negative effects of intra-articular corticosteroid injections at higher doses, and a 2017 trial showed reduction in cartilage thickness with intra-articular triamcinolone every 12 weeks for 2 years compared to placebo.

Splinting for fingers.

Passive stretching and clearing the deformity.

Once PVNS is confirmed by biopsy of the synovium of an affected joint, a synovectomy of the affected area is the most common treatment. Bone lesions caused by the disorder are removed and bone grafting is performed as needed. Because diffuse PVNS has a relatively high rate of recurrence, radiation therapy may be considered as a treatment option. In some cases, a total joint replacement is needed to relieve symptoms when PVNS causes significant joint destruction.

While acupuncture leads to improvements in pain relief, this improvement is small and may be of questionable importance. Waiting list-controlled trials for peripheral joint osteoarthritis do show clinically relevant benefits, but these may be due to placebo effects. Acupuncture does not seem to produce long-term benefits. While electrostimulation techniques such as TENS have been used for twenty years to treat osteoarthritis in the knee, there is no conclusive evidence to show that it reduces pain or disability.

A Cochrane review of low level laser therapy found unclear evidence of benefit. Another review found short term pain relief for osteoarthritic knees.

In general, anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed initially. This medical treatment is usually accompanied by physiotherapy to increase back and stomach muscles. Thus, the spine can be both relieved and stabilized. If these conservative measures do not bring about betterment, minimally invasive procedures such as a facet infiltration can be conducted to offer relief. In this procedure, a local anesthetic is injected directly into the respective joint, usually in combination with a cortisone preparation (corticosteroid).

For some people with hypermobility, lifestyle changes decrease symptom severity. In general activity that increases pain is to be avoided. For example:

- Typing can reduce pain from writing.

- Voice control software or a more ergonomic keyboard can reduce pain from typing.

- Bent knees or sitting can reduce pain from standing.

- Unwanted symptoms are frequently produced by some forms of yoga and weightlifting.

- Use of low impact elliptical training machines can replace high-impact running.

- Pain-free swimming may require a kickboard or extra care to avoid hyperextending elbow and other joints.

- Weakened ligaments and muscles contribute to poor posture, which may contribute to other medical conditions.

- Isometric exercise avoids hyperextension and contributes to strength.

Surgery is often the last resort when dealing with sacroiliitis and is rarely required. However, it may be a viable option for patients who are suffering from severe pain that is unresponsive to nonsurgical treatments and is significantly impacting their quality of life. In these cases, a minimally invasive procedure known as Sacroiliac Joint Fusion can effectively stabilize the joint and increase its load-bearing capacity by fusing it together.

Although a 2011 research article stated that disagreements between hand surgeons and rheumatologists remain regarding the indications, timing and effectiveness of rheumatoid hand surgery, arthritis mutilans may be successfully treated by iliac-bone graft and arthrodesis of the interphalangeal joints and the metacarpophalangeal joint in each finger.

Because any medication that could reduce the inflammation of CPPD bears a risk of causing organ damage, treatment is not advised if the condition is not causing pain.

For acute pseudogout, treatments include intra-articular corticosteroid injection, systemic corticosteroids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), or, on occasion, high-dose colchicine. In general, NSAIDs are administered in low doses to help prevent CPPD. However, if an acute attack is already occurring, higher doses are administered. If nothing else works, hydroxychloroquine or methotrexate may provide relief.

Research into surgical removal of calcifications is underway, however this still remains an experimental procedure.

Treatment for children with Blount's disease is typically braces but surgery may also be necessary, especially for teenagers. The operation consists of removing a piece of tibia, breaking the fibula and straightening out the bone; there is also a choice of elongating the legs. If not treated early enough, the condition worsens quickly.

Normally, asymptomatic cases are not treated. Non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs and surgery are two typical options for the rest.

Once the process is recognized, it should be treated via the VIPs — vascular management, infection management and prevention, and pressure relief. Aggressively pursuing these three strategies will progress the healing trajectory of the wound. Pressure relief (off-loading) and immobilization with total contact casting (TCC) are critical to helping ward off further joint destruction.

TCC involves encasing the patient’s complete foot, including toes, and the lower leg in a specialist cast that redistributes weight and pressure in the lower leg and foot during everyday movements. This redistributes pressure from the foot into the leg, which is more able to bear weight, to protect the wound, letting it regenerate tissue and heal. TCC also keeps the ankle from rotating during walking, which prevents shearing and twisting forces that can further damage the wound. TCC aids maintenance of quality of life by helping patients to remain mobile.

There are two scenarios in which the use of TCC is appropriate for managing neuropathic arthropathy (Charcot foot), according to the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society. First, during the initial treatment, when the breakdown is occurring, and the foot is exhibiting edema and erythema; the patient should not bear weight on the foot, and TCC can be used to control and support the foot. Second, when the foot has become deformed and ulceration has occurred; TCC can be used to stabilize and support the foot, and to help move the wound toward healing.

Walking braces controlled by pneumatics are also used. Surgical correction of a joint is rarely successful in the long-term in these patients. However, off-loading alone does not translate to optimal outcomes without appropriate management of vascular disease and/or infection. Duration and aggressiveness of offloading (non-weight-bearing vs. weight-bearing, non-removable vs. removable device) should be guided by clinical assessment of healing of neuropathic arthropathy based on edema, erythema, and skin temperature changes. It can take 6–9 months for the edema and erythema of the affected joint to recede.

Generally, no treatment is required for idiopathic presentation as it is a normal anatomical variant in young children. Treatment is indicated when it persists beyond 3 and a half years old. In the case of unilateral presentation or progressive worsening of the curvature, when caused by rickets, the most important thing is to treat the constitutional disease, at the same time instructing the care-giver never to place the child on its feet. In many cases this is quite sufficient in itself to effect a cure, but matters can be hastened somewhat by applying splints. When the deformity arises in older patients, either from trauma or occupation, the only permanent treatment is surgery, but orthopaedic bracing can provide relief.

Radiation therapy has been used mostly for early stage disease, but is unproven. Evidence to support its use as of 2017, however, is poor; efforts to gather evidence are complicated due to a poor understanding of the how the condition develops over time. It has only been looked at in early disease.

The goal of non-surgical treatment of tarsal coalition is to relieve the symptoms by reducing the movement of the affected joint. This might include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), steroidal anti-inflammatory injection, stabilizing orthotics or immobilization via a leg cast. At times, short term immobilization followed by long term orthotic use may be sufficient to keep the area free of pain.

Surgery is very commonly required. The type and complexity of the surgery will depend on the location of the coalition. Essentially, there are two types of surgery. Wherever possible, the bar will be removed to restore normal motion between the two bones. If this is not possible, it may be necessary to fuse the affected joints together by using screws to connect them solidly. Cutting away the coalition is more likely to succeed the younger the patient. With age comes extra wear in the affected and adjacent joints that makes treatment more difficult.

The bone edema in arthitis mutilans can be treated with TNF inhibitors in the short term: a 2007 study found that the bone edema associated with psoriatic arthritis (of which arthitis mutilans is a subtype) responded to TNF inhibitors with "dramatic" improvement, but the study was not determinative of whether TNF inhibitors would prevent new bone formation, bone fusion, or osteolysis (bone resorption).

Several alternate therapies such as vitamin E treatment, have been studied, although without control groups. Most doctors do not value those treatments. None of these treatments stops or cures the condition permanently.

Laser treatment (using red and infrared at low power) was informally discussed in 2013 at an International Dupuytren Society forum, as of which time little or no formal evaluation of the techniques had been completed.

Only anecdotal evidence supports other compounds such as vitamin E.

The major types of medications used to treat ankylosing spondylitis are pain-relievers and drugs aimed at stopping or slowing the progression of the disease. All of these have potentially serious side effects. Pain-relieving drugs come in two major classes:

- The mainstay of therapy in all seronegative spondyloarthropathies are anti-inflammatory drugs, which include NSAIDs such as ibuprofen, phenylbutazone, diclofenac, indomethacin, naproxen and COX-2 inhibitors, which reduce inflammation and pain. Indomethacin is a drug of choice. 2012 research showed that those with AS and elevated levels of acute phase reactants seem to benefit most from continuous treatment with NSAIDs.

- Opioid painkillers

Medications used to treat the progression of the disease include the following:

- Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) such as sulfasalazine can be used in people with peripheral arthritis. For axial involvement, evidence does not support sulfasalazine. Other DMARDS, such as methotrexate, did not have enough evidence to prove their effect. Generally, systemic corticosteroids were not used due to lack of evidence. Local injection with corticosteroid can be used for certain people with peripheral arthritis.

- Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) blockers (antagonists), such as the biologics etanercept, infliximab, golimumab and adalimumab, have shown good short-term effectiveness in the form of profound and sustained reduction in all clinical and laboratory measures of disease activity. Trials are ongoing to determine their long-term effectiveness and safety. The major drawback is the cost. An alternative may be the newer, orally-administered non-biologic apremilast, which inhibits TNF-α secretion, but a recent study did not find the drug useful for ankylosing spondylitis.

- Anti-interleukin-6 inhibitors such as tocilizumab, currently approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, and rituximab, a monoclonal antibody against CD20, are also undergoing trials.

- Interleukin-17A inhibitor secukinumab is an option for the treatment of active ankylosing spondylitis that has responded inadequately to (TNFα) blockers.

There are several types of medications that are used for the treatment of arthritis. Treatment typically begins with medications that have the fewest side effects with further medications being added if insufficiently effective.

Depending on the type of arthritis, the medications that are given may be different. For example, the first-line treatment for osteoarthritis is acetaminophen (paracetamol) while for inflammatory arthritis it involves non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen. Opioids and NSAIDs are less well tolerated.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is autoimmune so, in addition to pain medications and anti-inflammatory drugs, is treated with another category of drug called disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), which act on the immune system to slow down the progression of RA. An example of this type of drug is methotrexate.

There is no cure for AS, although treatments and medications can reduce symptoms and pain.

Treatment depends on a specific underlying cause. The underlying cause will be treated first and foremost. The treatments may include joint replacement surgery for severely damaged joints, immunosuppressants for immune system dysfunction, antibiotics when an infection is the cause, and discontinuing medication when an allergic reaction is the cause. When treating the primary cause, pain management may still play a role in treatment. The extent of its role varies depending on the specific cause of the arthralgia. Pain management may include stretching exercises, over the counter pain medications, prescription pain medication, or other treatments deemed appropriate for the symptoms.

Capsaicin, a substance found in chili peppers, may relieve joint pain from arthritis and other conditions. Capsaicin blocks the actions of substance P, which helps transmit pain signals, and capsaicin triggers the release of pain-blocking chemicals in the body known as endorphins. Side effects of capsaicin cream include burning or stinging in the area where it is applied. Another topical option is an arthritis cream containing the ingredient, methyl salicylate (Bengay).