Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (cont.)

Medical Author:

Michael Miller, MD

Medical Editor:

Kristine M Lohr, MD

Medical Editor:

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD

Medical Editor:

Arthur Weinstein, MD

Surgery is not usually needed in JRA.

Some children with persisting pauciarticular JRA, despite medical treatment, may benefit from steroid injections into a joint. This may be done by a rheumatologist, an orthopedic surgeon, or in some cases a child’s primary care provider.
Joint replacement (often of the hips, in patients with polyarticular JRA) usually is delayed until bone growth has completed.
At one time, part of the synovium was removed (synovectomy) in very severe cases to prevent joint damage. With improvements in medical treatment, this procedure is now rarely necessary.