How To Combat Arthritis Pain

Your Health Care Team

To help manage pain you may want to consult a primary care physician, nurse, pharmacist, physical therapist or other health care professional. You may be referred to a rheumatologist a doctor who specializes in treating arthritis.

Gaining control through communication

Even though pain may interfere with work relationships and daily life, few Americans talk to their doctors about it. Did you know:

• Fewer than half of Americans with severe or moderate pain report that they have a “great deal of control” over their pain.
• Fewer than half of people who visit their doctor for pain believe that their doctor completely understands how their pain makes them feel.

One of the best ways to gain control of pain is to talk to a doctor about it. Unlike a broken leg, pain cannot be seen in an x-ray or identified by a medical test. What a patient says may be the only way the doctor will know about the pain. And because people experience and respond to pain differently, how a patient describes pain is the best way for the doctor to understand what the patient is feeling. Only then can the doctor help the patient treat the pain.

Remember the patient and the doctor should share the same goal–reducing the patient’s pain.

Canola And Olive Oils

Skip the vegetable oil or corn oil and reach for these two varieties, which have a good balance of the omega-3 and omega-6 acids, both of which are essential fatty acids. Studies have found that a component in olive oil called oleocanthal has anti-inflammatory properties and is known to be especially good for heart health, too, Dunn says.

How Is Osteoarthritis Diagnosed

Your doctor will ask you questions about your pain. They will probably ask you if your joint pain gets worse with activity and better with rest. Your doctor will examine you to see if you have trouble moving your joint. Your doctor may order an X-ray or an MRI of the joint thats causing problems to see whats causing the pain. Blood tests can help rule out other forms of arthritis.

Also Check: How Do You Know If You Have Arthritis

New Ways To Beat Osteoarthritis Pain

Just over the horizon, therapies are being developed to relieve osteoarthritis. But there’s a lot you can do to feel better today.

There’s a 50-50 chance that, at some point in your life, you’ll develop osteoarthritis . Not great odds, considering how much this joint condition can hamper your activity.

The pain and limited mobility in OA occur as the cartilage that cushions the space between bones wears away with age and overuse. Left bare of their padding, bones rub painfully against each otherparticularly in the hands, spine, knees, and hips.

For years, treatments have focused on relieving OA symptomsnonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and acetaminophen to control pain, steroid injections to bring down inflammation, and viscosupplements to replace the joint’s natural lubricant. Today, the treatment outlook is changing.

“We’re beginning to understand that osteoarthritis is a disease of the entire joint,” explains Dr. Antonios Aliprantis, director of the Osteoarthritis Center at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “Much of the research over the last 20 or 30 years has focused on cartilage as the target. But we’re beginning to realize that there are important changes happening in the bone underneath the cartilage, and in the joint lining itselfthe synovium. As we begin to understand osteoarthritis as a disease of the entire joint, new treatment targets will emerge.”

Use Hot And Cold Therapy

Heat and cold treatments can help relieve arthritis pain and inflammation.

• Heat treatments can include taking a long, warm shower or bath in the morning to help ease stiffness and using an electric blanket or moist heating pad to reduce discomfort overnight.
• Cold treatments can help relieve joint pain, swelling, and inflammation. Wrap a gel ice pack or a bag of frozen vegetables in a towel and apply it to painful joints for quick relief. Never apply ice directly to the skin.
• Capsaicin, which comes from chili peppers, is a component of some topical ointments and creams that you can buy over the counter. These products provide warmth that can soothe joint pain.

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Before And After Treatments

Before using heat or cold:

• Your skin should be dry and healthy.
• Protect the skin over any bone that is close to the surface of your skin. Place extra padding over the area to prevent burning or freezing your skin.

After using heat or cold:

• Check the area for any swelling or discoloration.
• Carefully dry the area.
• Gently move your joint to reduce stiffness.
• Allow your skin to return to normal temperature before using another treatment.

How Stress Affects Arthritis Pain

Feeling stressed, depressed, and overwhelmed by arthritis pain is common, but such emotional reactions may actually make your arthritis pain feel worse and inhibit you from doing what you know you need to, like exercising and taking medications.

To help you control your stress levels:

• Take a vacation if and when you can just bring along your medication and all your doctor’s information.
• Express your feelings in a journal, diary, or blog several times a week.
• Turn to your religion or another form of spirituality for support and guidance.
• Get enough rest, at least eight hours each night, and take a short nap when you need it.
• Meditate a few times a week.
• Read, relax, enjoy a hot bath, and just savor some private quiet time alone.

Also Check: How To Treat Arthritis In Lumbar Spine

Dont Let Arthritis Hold You Back

Most forms of arthritis cannot be cured, but with an early and proper diagnosis, your arthritis pain can be effectively managed. You can also reduce the effects of arthritis pain by taking the steps above to keep your joints happy and healthy.

If youre tired of battling with arthritis pain, schedule an appointment with Airrosti. Our hands-on manual therapy approach can be used in conjunction with traditional treatment methods to help you manage the pain associated with arthritis.

View our medical disclaimer here.

Natural Ways To Ease Arthritis Pain

Don’t look at your legs and think: ‘They’re fat.’ Think: ‘These things carry me around all day, and I don’t have arthritis. Oh, and I’ve got great ankles. – Trinny Woodall

I couldnt say it better. Arthritis is a painful chronic illness and I am not going to lie to you it cant be cured. There are, however, some natural remedies for arthritis that can help ease the pain. Ill tell you more about them.

Read Also: What Causes Inflammatory Arthritis Flare Ups

Can Osteoarthritis Be Prevented Or Avoided

Theres not much you can do to avoid getting osteoarthritis as you age. However, the following may help:

• Try to not overuse your joints.
• Try to avoid jobs or activities that require repetitive movement.
• Maintain a healthy body weight.
• Do strength-training exercises to keep the muscles around your joints strong. This is especially important for weight-bearing joints, such as the hips, knees, and ankles.

Surprising Facts About Arthritis Pain

Even though pain may interfere with work relationships and daily life few Americans talk to their doctors about it. Did you know:

• Fewer than half of Americans with severe or moderate pain report that they have a “great deal of control” over their pain.
• Fewer than half of people who visit their doctor for pain believe that their doctor completely understands how their pain makes them feel.

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What Are The Best Treatments For Arthritis In The Hands

November 19, 2019 By Alex Hirsch

Arthritis can be disabling, especially when it is in the hands and fingers. It can prevent you from carrying out normal day-to-day activities such as work duties and preparing meals.

Arthritis is a common disease that causes pain and stiffness within joints, including the hand. Appropriate treatment will depend on the severity of the symptoms, but they can include medications, therapy, lifestyle adjustments, and surgery.

Other Pain Management Techniques

Splints

If a joint is very swollen and painful, your doctor or therapist may suggest you use a splint to rest the joint . This helps reduce swelling and pain. Your doctor may recommend that you wear the splint during certain activities all day or only at night. This depends on how severe the swelling or pain is.

Sleep

Getting a good night’s sleep restores your energy so you can better cope with the pain. It also rests your joints to reduce the pain and swelling. Only you know how much sleep your body needs, so get into the habit of listening to your body. If you feel tired and ache after lunch every day, for example, take a brief nap. This can help restore your energy and spirits.

If you have trouble sleeping at night, try relaxing quietly in the afternoon rather than taking a nap. Here are some other tips to help you sleep better:

• take a warm bath before going to bed
• listen to soothing music or a relaxation tape
• spend some quiet time by yourself before you go to bed
• read

Do not take sleeping pills unless your doctor recommends them.

Massage and topical lotions

Massage increases blood flow and brings warmth to the sore area. You can massage your own muscles or you can ask your doctor to recommend a professional who is trained to give massages. If you have arthritis in your shoulders, elbows, wrists or fingers, you may not be able to give yourself a massage.

Tips for safe massage:

Resources

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Gout And Calcium Crystal Diseases

Gout is a type of inflammatory arthritis that can cause painful swelling in joints. It typically affects the big toe, but it can also affect other joints in the body.

Joints affected by gout can become red and hot. The skin may also look shiny and can peel.

Its caused by having too much urate, otherwise known as uric acid, in the body. We all have a certain amount of urate in our body.

However, being overweight or eating and drinking too much of certain types of food and alcoholic drinks can cause some people to have more urate in their bodies. The genes you inherit can make you more likely to develop gout.

If it reaches a high level, urate can form into crystals that remain in and around the joint. They can be there for a while without causing any problems and even without the person realising they are there.

A knock to a part of the body or having a fever can lead to the crystals falling into the soft part of the joint. This will cause pain and swelling.

There are drugs that can reduce the amount of urate in the body and prevent gout attacks. Examples are allopurinol and . If youre having a gout attack, youll also need short-term pain relief. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as well as paracetamol can be good drugs to try first.

Men can get gout from their mid-20s, and in women its more common after the menopause. Taking water tablets can increase the risk of gout.

There are also conditions that cause calcium crystals to form in and around joints.

Find Your Healthy Weight

Being a healthy weight is important for everyone, but especially for those suffering from joint pain.1 Excess weight places increased stress on your whole body, especially your joints.2 But heres the good newslosing even just a few pounds can help you reduce pressure on your ankles, knees, and hips.3 For your best odds of long-term weight loss success, take off the pounds slowly using a healthy eating plan and regularly engaging in physical activity.

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Should I See A Doctor

Its common to have aches and pains in your muscles and joints from time to time. This may especially be true if you take part in unusual or strenuous physical activities.

So, how can you tell the difference between the early signs of arthritis and normal pain and stiffness? And, how do you know when you should see a doctor about your symptoms?

If you have swelling or stiffness that you cant explain and that doesn’t go away in a few days, or if it becomes painful to touch your joints, you should see a doctor. The earlier you get a diagnosis and start the right type of treatment, the better the outcome will be.

Here are some other things to think about that might help you decide whether you need to see a doctor:

Can Arthritis Go Away

Having arthritis doesnt mean you are stuck with it forever, but there is no cure at the moment. However, many people find relief from their symptoms by adjusting their lifestyle habits or starting a treatment program with their doctor.

For example, if your arthritis causes severe pain in your knee joints when walking up and down stairs, your doctor may prescribe medication that will ease the swelling and pain.

While there is no cure for arthritis, we can treat its symptoms with medication and lifestyle changes. We hope this article has provided you with valuable information on arthritis and its treatment options. If you would like to learn more about this disease, check out some of our other articles.

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Treat Yourself To A Massage

Massages arent just for de-stressing they can also provide your joints with much-needed pain relief. A study of 42 adults with RA found that those whod gotten moderate-pressure massages had less pain better range of motion in their shoulders, elbows, and wrists and stronger grip strength after a month.

Why Weight Matters For Arthritis Pain Control

Arthritis affects about 36 percent of obese American adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A healthy body weight is important to the health of your overall body, including your joints. Joints that are stressed and strained by bearing the burden of excess pounds show more wear and tear, inflammation, and stiffness, leading to arthritis pain.

Consider making these changes, if you need to they will help reduce your arthritis pain:

• Exercise. Get plenty of regular exercise to keep pounds off and reduce arthritis pain and stiffness.
• Eat a healthy diet. Stick to low-fat, low-calorie foods and plan your meals and snacks to be sure you’re getting lots of fruits and vegetables through your diet.
• Get vitamin C. Studies have shown that vitamin C may be helpful in managing inflammation in the body. So dig into an orange or pour yourself a glass of grapefruit juice each day.
• Keep track of your weight. Even a few extra pounds can worsen arthritis pain, so talk to your doctor to determine your healthiest weight. Focus on that number as your goal, and track your weight loss until you reach it.
• Avoid alcohol. Don’t medicate yourself with alcohol to manage pain it will only create more problems, and add calories to your diet.

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Exercise And Wise Use Of Joints

Exercise

Another key to coping with pain is to follow an exercise program designed by your doctor or physical therapist.

Your exercise program should include special range-of-motion exercises to help keep your joints movable. It should also include general fitness exercise such as swimming or walking. These help keep your heart, lungs, bones and muscles strong. Exercise also helps relieve stiffness and gives you an improved sense of well-being. Here are some tips to help you exercise properly:

• If you have a flare, do only gentle range-of-motion exercises.
• Start with just a few exercises and slowly add more.
• Listen to your body. If it hurts too much or if you begin to have too much pain, stop the exercise. Ask your doctor or therapist to help you learn the difference between normal exercise discomfort and too much exercise pain.

Using joints wisely and saving energy

Using your joints wisely means doing everyday tasks in ways that reduce the stress on painful joints. Saving your energy means “listening” to your body for signals that it needs to rest. It also means learning to pace yourself so you don’t become too tired. Here are a few guidelines for using your joints wisely and for saving your energy:

What Blocks Pain Signals

Many scientists think pain control methods help reduce pain by blocking pain signals. Pain signals are sent through a complex system of nerves in the brain and spinal cord.

There are many things that can block these signals and thus prevent the pain message from reaching your brain.

Pain signals are blocked by chemicals made by the brain called endorphins. There are several things that can cause the brain to produce endorphins. These include “natural” controls, such as your own thoughts and emotions, or “outside” controls such as medicines.

Natural controls

A father driving with his children is hurt in a car accident. The father is so worried about his children that he doesn’t feel the pain from his own broken arm. The concern for his children somehow blocked the pain signal and kept the pain from affecting him.

Outside controls

Certain medicines such as morphine imitate the body’s endorphins and block the pain signal. Other pain control methods, such as heat and cold treatments, physical therapy, exercise, relaxation and massage can stimulate the body to release its own endorphins or to block the pain signal in other ways.

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