Arthritis flare planning Arizona residents can use

A flare means your usual soreness has changed

Your joint may ache more after extra walking or lifting. Poor sleep and a long drive can also make days harder.

Note the movement that came before the soreness. Also note swelling, morning stiffness, and lost sleep.

Keep the notes brief enough to use each day. A flare note works like a grocery list for your next visit.

Don't change several habits at the same time. You may not know which change helped or hurt.

Gentle care can help a familiar flare

Brief rest may calm soreness after too much activity. Easy movement may stop more stiffness from building.

Heat or cold may feel good for a short time. Ask your usual doctor or nurse which medicines are safe for you.

Regenerative treatments at QC Kinetix use blood or tissue prepared at the clinic. Licensed staff known as medical providers test your joint movement and provide care.

A visit can cover non-surgical choices for ongoing soreness. You’ll hear what the exam finds before choosing what comes next.

New warning signs call for faster help

A familiar flare often settles toward your usual level. Soreness that keeps rising deserves a call to your own clinic.

Seek prompt care for sudden heat, marked swelling, or fever. A fall followed by new weakness calls for a quick check.

Bring your brief notes when you get examined. They show what happened before the soreness and what changed afterward.

You don't need a perfect diary of every hour. You need enough detail to explain this flare clearly.

Evidence sources

1. CDC's National Health Interview Survey analysis found an estimated 21.2% of US adults (53.2 million people) had doctor-diagnosed arthritis in 2019-2021. Age-standardised prevalence was higher in women (20.9%) than men (16.3%). Adults 45 and older make up 88.3% of all US adults with arthritis, and prevalence was high among people with COPD (57.6%), dementia (55.9%), stroke (52.6%), heart disease (51.5%), diabetes (43.1%) and cancer (43.1%).

   Fallon EA, et al. — Prevalence of Diagnosed Arthritis - United States, 2019-2021.. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep, 2023.

2. CDC estimated 58.5 million US adults (23.7%) reported arthritis in 2016-2018 and 25.7 million reported arthritis-attributable activity limitation - 43.9% of everyone with arthritis. Arthritis has been the most frequently reported main cause of disability among US adults for more than 15 years and was responsible for more than $300 billion in direct and indirect annual costs in 2013.

   Theis KA, et al. — Prevalence of Arthritis and Arthritis-Attributable Activity Limitation - United States, 2016-2018.. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep, 2021.

3. The Cochrane review of topical NSAIDs for chronic musculoskeletal pain pooled 39 studies with 10,631 participants, all of which examined topical NSAIDs for the treatment of osteoarthritis, using 'clinical success' (at least 50% pain reduction or equivalent) as the primary outcome.

   Derry S, et al. — Topical NSAIDs for chronic musculoskeletal pain in adults.. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2016.

4. In a 70-participant randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial, Curcuma longa extract improved VAS knee pain versus placebo by -9.1 mm (95% CI -17.8 to -0.4, P=0.039) and WOMAC pain by -47.2 mm, but did NOT change effusion-synovitis volume on MRI or cartilage composition. The authors flag modest sample size and 12-week duration as limitations.

   Wang Z, et al. — Effectiveness of Curcuma longa Extract for the Treatment of Symptoms and Effusion-Synovitis of Knee Osteoarthritis : A Randomized Trial.. Ann Intern Med, 2020.

5. A 52-week single-blind randomized comparative-effectiveness trial in 204 people with symptomatic knee OA found Tai Chi twice weekly for 12 weeks produced WOMAC improvement of 167 points versus 143 points for standard physical therapy, a non-significant between-group difference of 24 points. Benefits were maintained to 52 weeks and the Tai Chi group had significantly greater improvement in depression and the physical component of quality of life. No serious adverse events occurred.

   Wang C, et al. — Comparative Effectiveness of Tai Chi Versus Physical Therapy for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Trial.. Ann Intern Med, 2016.

6. A web-based case-crossover study of 345 people with symptomatic radiographic knee OA (171 with at least one flare, 1,425 observations) found NO apparent association between temperature, relative humidity, air pressure or precipitation and the risk of knee pain exacerbation - directly contradicting the near-universal patient belief that weather drives flares.

   Ferreira ML, et al. — The influence of weather on the risk of pain exacerbation in patients with knee osteoarthritis - a case-crossover study.. Osteoarthritis Cartilage, 2016.

7. A meta-analysis of nine randomized trials (898 participants) found dietary interventions improved osteoarthritis pain (SMD -0.67, 95% CI -1.01 to -0.34) and physical function (SMD -0.62). The benefit was concentrated in REDUCED-ENERGY diets (pain SMD -0.85); the Mediterranean diet subgroup did NOT significantly change pain (SMD -0.27, 95% CI -1.14 to 0.60, P=0.54).

   Asadi S, et al. — The effectiveness of dietary intervention in osteoarthritis management: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.. Eur J Clin Nutr, 2025.