Experts, Patients Highlight Barriers to Arthritis Care Amid World Arthritis Day Observance

With the recent observance of World Arthritis Day, stakeholders highlight persistent barriers to coordinated, affordable care, emphasizing the need for improved access, preventive strategies, and community-based support.

About World Arthritis Day

Celebrated annually on October 12, World Arthritis Day has raised global awareness of arthritis since 1996.¹ Arthritis, defined as the swelling of one or more joints, is the leading cause of disability in the US, affecting nearly 60 million adults and 300,000 children.²

Arthritis encompasses more than 100 conditions that impact the joints, surrounding tissues, and other connective structures. Common forms include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Although often referred to as an “invisible disease,” arthritis profoundly impacts patients’ lives, with 90% reporting that pain interferes with their daily lives.¹

Despite being one of the most prevalent diseases worldwide, arthritis is frequently downplayed or dismissed as an inevitable part of aging. The Arthritis Foundation highlighted that World Arthritis Day provides an opportunity to challenge this misconception, raise awareness of the condition’s true burden, and drive action toward improved care, treatment options, and a better future for those affected.

Common Arthritis Treatments

Arthritis treatment focuses on relieving symptoms and improving joint function.³ Because treatment response can vary, patients often need to try multiple therapies or combinations before finding the most effective approach. Options include medications, physical therapy, and, in some cases, surgery.

Common medications include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen and naproxen sodium, which reduce pain and inflammation. Counterirritants applied to the skin over an aching joint may also provide relief by interfering with pain signal transmission. Additionally, corticosteroids, such as prednisone, can reduce inflammation and pain while helping to slow joint damage.

Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are other key therapies, essential for slowing the progression of RA and preventing permanent joint damage. These include conventional, biologic, or targeted synthetic DMARDs.

In patients with certain types of arthritis, physical therapy can improve their range of motion and strengthen the muscles surrounding joints. When these more conservative measures are insufficient, surgical interventions, such as joint repair, replacement, or fusion, may be considered.

What Are the Main Disparities for Arthritis Care Access?

Although many treatment options exist, patients often struggle to access them, beginning with challenges in obtaining care.

Jeanne Northrop, who has lived with connective tissue disease, a condition partly characterized by arthritis, for 20 years, described the complex journey of managing her care in an interview with The American Journal of Managed Care^® (AJMC^®). Because connective tissue disease impacts multiple body systems, she requires care from several specialists beyond her primary care provider, including a rheumatologist, nephrologist, and physical therapist. Northrop highlighted that the biggest care barriers are the high demand for specialists and the lack of coordination among providers.

“Specialists are in high demand, and there’s only so many of them, which means it takes months, sometimes over a year, to get an appointment with a professional,” Northrop told AJMC. “From there, there’s the lack of coordinated care. Every professional is working within a different health care system, or they’re not working in unison, so they’re not communicating with each other, so it’s very hard to be treated with a tailored or personalized care plan.”

Access to specialists often depends on one’s insurance, she added, sometimes requiring out-of-pocket payments for out-of-network opinions. Additionally, Northrop highlighted that many providers operate during standard working hours, requiring patients to take time off work, which not everyone can manage, further limiting access.

Northrop’s experience aligns with recent research showing that certain patient groups face disproportionate care barriers. A literature review published earlier this year found disparities in RA, PsA, and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) among historically underserved populations, including underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, patients with lower socioeconomic status, individuals experiencing homelessness, and Medicare or Medicaid enrollees.⁴ These populations experienced higher disease activity and severity, decreased or delayed access to specialist care, lower likelihood of receiving advanced therapeutics, and worse clinical outcomes.

Similarly, another study found that incremental increases in social risk factors were independently associated with higher odds of arthritis and greater disease burden.⁵ Patients reporting 4 or more social risk factors were more likely to have arthritis and report severe joint pain, as well as limitations in daily activities, work, and social engagement.

Economic burden also restricts access to arthritis care. A recent systematic review analyzing up-to-date cost-of-illness data for inflammatory arthritis across 28 countries identified medication as the primary driver of direct health care costs, primarily due to the growing use of the high-priced biologic DMARDs.

Meanwhile, productivity losses associated with arthritis care, including absenteeism and morbidity-related impairment, were the leading drivers of indirect costs. Over time, researchers observed an increase in medication-related costs and a decrease in productivity losses for AS, as well as a reduction in inpatient care costs for PsA.

How to Expanding Access to Arthritis Treatment and Support

Micaela Bayard, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, highlighted programs and services that may help mitigate access barriers in an interview with AJMC. For older patients, she suggested attending senior centers, which provide state- and locally-funded resources like yoga, strengthening pools, and other therapeutic activities to help manage arthritis outside of the clinic.

She also emphasized Silver Sneakers, insurance-covered fitness programs that provide different-tiered pricing and access to older patients. Where available, Bayard encouraged patients to take advantage of discounted or covered transportation to medical appointments, such as New York City’s Access-A-Ride program.

Looking ahead, researchers recommend improving arthritis care access by building partnerships between health care systems and community-based organizations, conducting targeted outreach to patients with low socioeconomic status, and implementing interventions to improve patient adherence, knowledge, and access for those in rural areas or experiencing homelessness.

Building on this, Bayard stressed the importance of preventive care, incentivizing primary care providers to address factors that impact arthritis as much as they do for conditions like diabetes.

“We don’t have a cure for arthritis, and for many people, their genetic components and day-to-day work components can significantly contribute to how severe their arthritis is,” she said. "It's looking at the front end and thinking about how we are promoting primary care offices, reimbursing primary care doctors to spend the time they need to talk about fitness, nutrition, all the things that can go into impacting arthritis."

She concluded by encouraging advocacy for federal and local funding to expand access to community resources that improve arthritis symptoms.

"It’s also about improving and lobbying for local and federal funding to allow people greater access to fitness centers, wellness centers, elderly activities, and programs for anyone who is going to emphasize fitness and better nutrition; that can all play a role in improving someone’s experience with arthritis,” Bayard said.

References

1. October 12 is World Arthritis Day. News release. Arthritis Foundation. August 22, 2025. Accessed October 14, 2025. https://www.arthritis.org/news/press-releases-and-statements/world-arthritis-day-2025
2. 6 common types of arthritis and related conditions. Cultivating Health. April 17, 2024. Accessed October 14, 2025. https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/cultivating-health/6-common-types-of-arthritis-and-related-conditions-symptoms-causes-and-risk-factors/2024/04
3. Arthritis. Mayo Clinic. Accessed October 14, 2025. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/arthritis/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20350777
4. Wright GC, Zueger PM, Copley-Merriman C, et al. Health disparities in rheumatology in the United States. Open Access Rheumatol. 2025;17:1-12. doi:10.2147/OARRR.S493457
5. Rethorn ZD, Rethorn TJ, Cook CE, Sharpe JA, Hastings SN, Allen KD. Association of burden and prevalence of arthritis with disparities in social risk factors, findings from 17 US States. Prev Chronic Dis. 2022;19:E08. doi:10.5888/pcd19.210277
6. Zhang X, Liu J, Wang Z, et al. The economic burden of inflammatory arthritis: a systematic review. Pharmacoeconomics. Published online September 27, 2025. doi:10.1007/s40273-025-01534-8