What is included in the care plan for clients with osteoarthritis?
Nursing care plan for clients with osteoarthritis involves relieving pain, promoting comfort measures, maintaining optimal joint function, and preventing progressive disability.
What is the nurse teaching the client with osteoarthritis?
The nurse is teaching a client with osteoarthritis about the disease. What is the most important client focus for disease management? The goals of osteoarthritis disease management are to decrease pain and stiffness and improve joint mobility.
How can a client with osteoarthritis adapt to the disease?
A client with osteoarthritis must adapt to this chronic and disabling disease, which causes deterioration of the joint cartilage. The most common symptom of the disease is deep, aching joint pain, particularly in the morning and after exercise and weight-bearing activities.
What medication is prescribed to the client diagnosed with osteoarthritis?
The client diagnosed with OA is prescribed a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Which instruction should the nurse teach the client? 1. Take the medication on an empty stomach.
What are the symptoms of OA?
Initial symptoms of OA include pain with joint movement. Heberden's nodules occur on the fingers. Redness of the joint is associated with inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis. Stiffness in OA is worse right after the patient rests and decreases with joint movement.
What is therapeutic exercise?
When the disease is stabilized, a therapeutic exercise program is usually developed by a physical therapist to include exercises that improve flexibility and strength of affected joints, as well as the patient's general endurance.
Why do people with fibromyalgia need to stop drinking coffee?
Dietitians frequently suggest patients with fibromyalgia limit their intake of caffeine and sugar because these substances are muscle irritants.
Can you monitor liver function with corticosteroids?
Liver function is not routinely monitored in patients receiving corticosteroids. The nurse teaching a support group of women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) about how to manage activities of daily living suggests they should. a. avoid activities requiring repetitive use of the same muscles and joints.
Do you need to take naps when you have septic arthritis?
There is no need for frequent naps. A patient hospitalized with a fever and red, hot, painful knees is suspected of having septic arthritis. Information obtained during the nursing history that indicates a risk factor for septic arthritis is that the patient. a. had several knee injuries as a teenager.
Does wringing water out of a sponge cause joint stress?
Wringing water out of sponges would increase joint stress. Patients are encouraged to position joints in the extended (neutral) position. Sleeping with a pillow behind the knees would decrease the ability of the knee to extend and also decrease knee range of motion.
Is cold application good for RA?
Cold application is helpful in reducing pain during periods of exacerbation of RA. Because the joint pain is chronic, patients are instructed to exercise even when joints are painful. ROM exercises are intended to strengthen joints and improve flexibility, so passive ROM alone is not sufficient.
What is the characteristic of osteoarthritis?
A characteristic feature of osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease) is joint stiffness that decreases with activity and movement. Erythema and edema over the affected joint, anorexia, weight loss, and fever and malaise are associated with rheumatoid arthritis, a more severe and destructive form of arthritis.
Why should a nurse instruct a client to rest?
Because rest usually relieves the pain, the nurse should instruct the client to rest frequently, especially after activities, and to pace oneself during daily activities. Telling the client to do chores in the morning is incorrect because the pain and stiffness of osteoarthritis are most pronounced in the morning.
What is the best treatment for rheumatoid arthritis?
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are the mainstay of treatment for rheumatoid arthritis pain. They help to decrease inflammation in the joints. Heat, rather than ice packs, is used to relieve pain.
What is RA characterized by?
RA is characterized by inflamed, swollen joints.". OA is a degenerative arthritis, characterized by the loss of cartilage on the articular surfaces of weight-bearing joints with spur development. RA is characterized by inflammation of synovial membranes and surrounding structures.
Why is spondylitis diagnosed early?
Psoriatic arthritis, characterized by synovitis, polyarthritis, and spondylitis, requires early treatment because of early damage caused by disease. Ankylosing spondylitis affects the cartilaginous joints of the spine and surrounding tissues and is usually diagnosed in the second or third decade of life.
Is hydrotherapy a priority for rheumatoid arthritis?
To preserve joint function, individuals need to learn appropriate activities. Colchicine and allopurinol are used for gout, not osteoarthritis. Hydrotherapy is not a priority for care. A client with rheumatoid arthritis tells the nurse about experiencing mild tinnitus, gastric intolerance, and rectal bleeding.
What is the pain of a client?
Assess the client’s description of pain. The client may report pain in the fingers, hips, knees, lower lumbar spine, and cervical vertebrae. Pain is usually provoked by activity and relieved by rest; joint pain and aching may also be present when the client is at rest.
How to maintain joint mobility?
Exercise is necessary to maintain joint mobility, but clients may be reluctant to participate in exercise if they are in too much pain. Provide for adequate rest periods. Fatigue impairs the ability to cope with discomfort. Support joints in a slightly flexed position through the use of pillows, rolls, and towels.
What is the most common type of arthritis associated with progressive degeneration of articular cartilage in synovial joints
Osteoarthritis (OA) also known as degenerative joint disease (DJD) or osteoarthrosis is the most common kind of arthritis associated with progressive degeneration of articular cartilage in synovial joints. Usually, weight-bearing joints and the spine are affected.
Is secondary OA more common in men?
Secondary OA occurs more often in men. People with this type of OA are likely to have a previous inflammatory disease and joint injury related to the person’s occupation or sports activity . Osteoarthritis is characterized by progressive degeneration of the cartilage in a joint.
Is osteoarthritis a part of the normal aging process?
Usually, weight-bearing joints and the spine are affected. Although the disease occurs most often in older adults, osteoarthritis is not part of the normal aging process. Idiopathic (primary) OA is more likely to affect women older than age 65.
What is the pathophysiology of osteoarthritis?
Pathophysiology. Osteoarthritis may be thought of as the result of many factors that, when combined, predispose the patient to the disease. Mechanical injury. OA starts from an injury of the articular cartilage, subchondral bone, and synovium.
What is the best treatment for inflamed joints?
Devices such as splints and braces can be used to support inflamed joints. Pharmacologic therapy. Initial analgesic therapy is acetaminophen, while some are responsive to NSAIDs, COX-2 enzyme blockers, opioids, and intra-articular corticosteroids.
What is the most common joint disorder?
What is Osteoarthritis? Osteoarthri tis (OA) is the most frequently disabling among joint disorders. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease or sometimes called osteoarthrosis even though inflammation may be present. It is the most common among the joint disorders and also the most disabling.
What happens after a chondrocyte responds to a cytokines release?
After the chondrocyte response, the release of cytokines occurs. Stimulation of enzymes. Proteolytic enzymes, metalloproteases, and collagenase are stimulated, produced, and, released. Damage. The resulting damage predisposes to damage further as the chondrocyte is triggered to respond again.
How to avoid too much weight on joints?
To avoid too much weight upon the joints, reduction of weight is recommended . Prevention of injuries. As one of the risk factors for osteoarthritis is previous joint damage, it is best to avoid any injury that might befall the weight-bearing joints. Perinatal screening for congenital hip disease.
What to do after discharge for OA?
Discharge and Home Care Guidelines. After discharge, management of OA should still continue at home. Exercise. Patients should plan their daily exercise for a time when the pain is least severe or plan to use a prescribed analgesic agent before exercising.
Is OA a disabling disease?
It is the most common among the joint disorders and also the most disabling. OA is both overdiagnosed and trivialized; it is frequently overtreated or undertreated. The functional impact of OA on the quality of life, especially elderly patients, is often ignored.
How to manage arthritis symptoms?
Self-management is an effective way to manage arthritis symptoms. “Self-management” strategies and activities are the day-to-day things a person chooses to do to manage his or her condition and stay healthy. CDC’s Arthritis Program recommends five self-management strategies for managing arthritis .
Why is it important to screen your patients with arthritis?
It is important to screen your patients with arthritis for anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses. Offer care, treatment, and referrals to services. Treating mental illness may also help patients manage their pain and other arthritis symptoms better.
How to help arthritis pain?
Encouraging Physical Activity. CDC recommends that health care providers counsel their arthritis patients to be physically active. Joint-friendly physical activity can improve arthritis pain, function, mood, and quality of life for people with arthritis.
What are the symptoms of arthritis?
Symptoms to Look for. General symptoms of arthritis are joint pain, stiffness, and swelling , but different types have unique symptoms. Learn more about symptoms of different types of arthritis. For information about the symptoms of common types of arthritis, visit the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) ...
How many people have arthritis?
Over 54 million US adults have arthritis, and most health care providers will treat someone with arthritis. Most patients do not see a rheumatologist for their arthritis. Instead, they may go to primary care providers, such as family practitioners, internists, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. All health care providers can use this ...
Why is telemedicine important?
Telemedicine is especially important in areas where there are few health care providers or specialists like rheumatologists, such as rural areas or underserved populations. Telemedicine for the diagnosis and management of rheumatic disease is called telerheumatology. Learn more about telerheumatology:
What to do after a patient has established a treatment plan?
After you and your patient have established a treatment plan, make sure to follow up to see if he or she is acting on recommendations and if these have been effective.
What is the best medicine for osteoarthritis?
Medications that can help relieve osteoarthritis symptoms, primarily pain, include: Acetaminophen. Acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) has been shown to help some people with osteoarthritis who have mild to moderate pain. Taking more than the recommended dose of acetaminophen can cause liver damage.
How to reduce joint stiffness and pain from osteoarthritis?
Learn all you can about your condition and how to manage it, especially about how lifestyle changes can affect your symptoms. Exercising and losing weight if you're overweight are important ways to lessen the joint pain and stiffness of osteoarthritis. Exercise.
How to relieve knee pain from standing?
A bench in your shower could help relieve the pain of standing if you have knee osteoarthritis. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). This uses a low-voltage electrical current to relieve pain. It provides short-term relief for some people with knee and hip osteoarthritis.
How to reduce pain in a joint?
Physical therapy. A physical therapist can show you exercises to strengthen the muscles around your joint, increase your flexibility and reduce pain. Regular gentle exercise that you do on your own, such as swimming or walking, can be equally effective.
What is the doctor checking for in a joint?
Diagnosis. During the physical exam, your doctor will check your affected joint for tenderness, swelling, redness and flexibility.
Can a lab test confirm osteoarthritis?
Lab tests. Analyzing your blood or joint fluid can help confirm the diagnosis. Blood tests. Although there's no blood test for osteoarthritis, certain tests can help rule out other causes of joint pain, such as rheumatoid arthritis. Joint fluid analysis.