A great discussion on the the challenges parents face in helping to support a child with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis or JIA. New treatment options have allowed made it possible for children diagnosed with JIA to participate in a far greater number of sports and activities. A proper course of physical therapy is a vital key in treating this disease that affects hundreds of thousands of children in the US alone.
An interesting article in the WSJ.com about how researchers have discovered a bit of the bacteria that causes lyme disease still exists even after a successful course of treatment with antibiotics. This may explain why some sufferers continue to have arthritis like pain in the fingers and other joints. It is important to note that this study was done with mice and as such it is still too early to make any human comparisons.