Helping your teen take control
This page describes how to help your teen take control of the health care. Help them handle stress and make sure to have effective communication… Read More
Juvenile enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA)
Juvenile enthesitis-related arthritis includes swelling and pain where tendons and ligaments attach to bone. It affects more boys than girls. ERA is a type of… Read More
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and JIA
This page describes the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of arthritis. An MRI is a type of imaging test that produces… Read More
Dealing with bullying
Bullying is repeated, aggressive behaviour towards one person from another person or a group of other people. Bullying is hurtful. It can occur in many… Read More
Dental care and JIA
JIA can affect your neck or jaw, and this can affect your dental health. If you have difficulty moving your jaw or neck, it can… Read More
Diagnosing JIA
Several exams and tests are done in order to diagnose arthritis. A complete medical history, physical exam, blood tests, and imaging studies such as MRI… Read More
Eating healthy
In "Nutrition and JIA," we discussed the importance of eating healthy because of JIA. Keep in mind, though, that eating a nutritious diet is important… Read More
Enthesitis-related JIA
Enthesitis (say: en-the-si-tis)-related JIA involves inflammation in both the joints and the entheses, which are the spots where tendons or ligaments attach to bones. Enthesitis-related… Read More
Exercise and JIA
Talk with your physiotherapist or doctor about the best types of exercise for you. Doing the wrong kind of exercise can actually cause more pain… Read More
Eye care and JIA
Most patients with eye inflammation do not have any symptoms. Untreated eye inflammation (uveitis) can lead to scarring of the eye, glaucoma (increased eye pressure),… Read More
Corticosteroid joint injections for JIA
If you have JIA that doesn’t get better with other drugs, and if only a few joints are affected, your doctor may suggest that you… Read More
Corticosteroids for JIA
Corticosteroids are often called steroids. However, the word steroid can be confusing. Corticosteroids are very different from the steroids some athletes take to do better… Read More
Diagnosis of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)
Several exams and tests are done in order to diagnose arthritis. A complete medical history, physical exam, blood tests, and imaging studies such as MRI and… Read More
Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) for JIA
When other treatments cannot control your joint inflammation, your doctor may give you disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). They can help manage the inflammation. They can… Read More
Encouraging healthy coping behaviours
Encourage healthy coping behaviours in your teen with these expert tips. Reinforce and strengthen positive behaviours, through the use of praise and attention. It may… Read More
Encouraging healthy lifestyle habits
Exercising regularly, eating well and sleeping well are all important parts of proper JIA management. Learn how to encourage your teen to be healthy. Encourage… Read More
Exercise and juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Regular exercise can help children and teens manage their JIA. Learn more about different exercises including range of motion exercises, stretching, strengthening, and cardiovascular exercise. The… Read More
Basic yoga poses
These are basic yoga poses that you can try to help relieve JIA symptoms. These poses will teach you how to relax as well as… Read More
Becoming aware of your thoughts
Helpful thoughts lead to good feelings such as joy, hope, excitement and determination. These thoughts can help you feel less stress and tension. Here are… Read More
Behaviour rehearsal
Behaviour rehearsal helps you to prepare for an event that you think will be stressful, before it even happens. Since most young people know ahead… Read More
Birth control and pregnancy
Talk to your doctor or your health-care team if you have questions about birth control methods or pregnancy and JIA. Birth control can help prevent… Read More
Bone scan and bone density and JIA
A bone scan will show inflammation or infection in the bones, while a bone density test will measure the amount of calcium in the bones.… Read More
Changing unhelpful thoughts
There are various things you can do to stop or change unhelpful thoughts. These techniques include mindful observation, replacing unhelpful thoughts with more helpful ones,… Read More
Complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) for JIA
Complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) are health-care systems, practices and products that are not a part of conventional medicine. Conventional medicine is practiced by medical… Read More
Complications of JIA
Sometimes, young people with JIA can go for months or even years without their disease bothering them, but then it comes back. This is called… Read More