Arthritis

• Can I talk to a doctor on Gotodoctor.ca about my arthritis pain?

Yes, Gotodoctor.ca provides virtual care services for arthritis. A doctor will take a comprehensive in-depth history and may provide you with prescriptions. Depending on the severity of symptoms further recommendations will be provided. If a patient is suffering from severe pain from arthritis, the doctor will direct him/her to clinic treatment.

• What is Arthritis?

Arthritis is a condition of painful and inflamed joints. The common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis^[1]. Arthritis pain is a pain that arises mostly from the weight-bearing joints which include shoulder joint, knee joint, hip joint and ankle joint. Etiology can vary from degenerative changes with age, traumatic changes to more serious conditions^[2]. Muscle weakness and bone deformity could result if the arthritis is left untreated^{[3, 4]}. 

• What are the symptoms of arthritis?

The main signs and symptoms of arthritis are swelling around the joint, pain, stiffness and restricted movements at the involved joint. Participation restriction in activities of daily living can occur because of arthritis. Arthritis pain can be presented simultaneously with fever, body aching and malaise if there is underlying inflammation. A doctor will be able to diagnose arthritic pain by identifying characteristic symptoms. Arthritis is not a single condition; it may involve different pathologies including the autoimmune response of the body against its cells, and joint erosion could be triggered^{[6, 7]}.

• How is arthritis treated?

Treatment of arthritic pain depends on the underlying cause and investigations should be done to find out the root cause. First of all, life-threatening conditions are excluded by the doctor at the clinic^[8]. Pain-relieving medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may be prescribed to make the patient free of pain. Prescriptions for muscle relaxant medications may be provided for the patients that suffer from tenderness in the muscles due to inflamed joints, and prescriptions for additional diet supplements such as calcium may be provided for bone and joints demineralization^{[9, 10]}.

• How can an online doctor on Gotodoctor.ca treat arthritis?

An appointment can be easily made with an online doctor on Gotodoctor.ca. Arthritis can be treated via virtual care methods^{[6, 9-17]}. An online doctor will take a comprehensive history of your signs and symptoms, and may provide you with prescriptions.  Virtual care services provided by Gotodoctor.ca assure comfort, convenience and a higher level of care for the patient .

References

1. Guidelines, A.C.o.R.S.o.R.A., Guidelines for the management of rheumatoid arthritis: 2002 update. Arthritis & Rheumatism, 2002. 46(2): p. 328-346.
2. Bullough, P.G., The role of joint architecture in the etiology of arthritis. Osteoarthritis and cartilage, 2004. 12: p. 2-9.
3. Olivieri, I., et al., Advances in the management of psoriatic arthritis. Nature Reviews Rheumatology, 2014. 10(9): p. 531.
4. Carter, J.D. and A.P. Hudson, Reactive arthritis: clinical aspects and medical management. Rheumatic Disease Clinics, 2009. 35(1): p. 21-44.
5. de Rooy, D.P., et al., Predicting arthritis outcomes—what can be learned from the Leiden Early Arthritis Clinic? Rheumatology, 2011. 50(1): p. 93-100.
6. Eaton, L.H., et al., Development and implementation of a telehealth-enhanced intervention for pain and symptom management. Contemporary clinical trials, 2014. 38(2): p. 213-220.
7. Staub, G.M., J. von Overbeck, and E. Blozik, Teleconsultation in children with abdominal pain: a comparison of physician triage recommendations and an established paediatric telephone triage protocol. BMC medical informatics and decision making, 2013. 13: p. 110-110.
8. Van der Horst-Bruinsma, I., et al., Diagnosis and course of early-onset arthritis: results of a special early arthritis clinic compared to routine patient care. British journal of rheumatology, 1998. 37(10): p. 1084-1088.
9. Almathami, H.K.Y., K.T. Win, and E. Vlahu-Gjorgievska, Barriers and Facilitators That Influence Telemedicine-Based, Real-Time, Online Consultation at Patients’ Homes: Systematic Literature Review. J Med Internet Res, 2020. 22(2): p. e16407.
10. Deldar, K., K. Bahaadinbeigy, and S.M. Tara, Teleconsultation and Clinical Decision Making: a Systematic Review. Acta informatica medica : AIM : journal of the Society for Medical Informatics of Bosnia & Herzegovina : casopis Drustva za medicinsku informatiku BiH, 2016. 24(4): p. 286-292.
11. Gunasekeran, D.V., et al., Evaluating Safety and Efficacy of Follow-up for Patients With Abdominal Pain Using Video Consultation (SAVED Study): Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of medical Internet research, 2020. 22(6): p. e17417-e17417.
12. Myers, D.R., et al., Towards remote assessment and screening of acute abdominal pain using only a smartphone with native accelerometers. Scientific Reports, 2017. 7(1): p. 12750.
13. Staub, G., J. Overbeck, and E. Blozik, Teleconsultation in children with abdominal pain: A comparison of physician triage recommendations and an established paediatric telephone triage protocol. BMC medical informatics and decision making, 2013. 13: p. 110.
14. Bokolo Anthony, J., Use of Telemedicine and Virtual Care for Remote Treatment in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Medical Systems, 2020. 44(7): p. 132.
15. Wang, X., et al., Impact of Telemedicine on Healthcare Service System Considering Patients’ Choice. Discrete Dynamics in Nature and Society, 2019. 2019: p. 7642176.
16. Williams, O.E., et al., The use of telemedicine to enhance secondary care: some lessons from the front line. Future healthcare journal, 2017. 4(2): p. 109-114.
17. Vaghef-Davari, F., et al., Approach to Acute Abdominal Pain: Practical Algorithms. Advanced journal of emergency medicine, 2019. 4(2): p. e29-e29.