When to Use External Analgesic Products Safety of External Analgesics Advising Patients on Treating Arthritis Pain with Topical Analgesic Therapy What is Arthritis?
Arthritis is America’s leading crippling disease, affecting some 70 million Americans everyday. More than a million new cases are diagnosed each year. The disease consumes an estimated $82 billion a year in health care costs and lost wages. While there is no cure for arthritis, there are a number of treatments that can modify the pain and inflammation associated with it. Patients, however, may comply poorly with such treatments because of side effects or because they forgot to take a dose. Patients may turn to topical analgesics as a way to obtain relief with minimal adverse effects. Since these products are available without a prescription, they can be easily obtained. A pharmacist can help them select an appropriate topical product and teach them how to use it. But before a pharmacist can help a patient, he must first help them understand their disease. Arthritis refers to nearly 100 inflammatory conditions that affect joints and connective tissue, but the two most common forms are o
