Relieving arthritis discomfort -
Work on posture. Years of compensating for a sore hip or knee can cause pain in other parts of your body. Slouching at a computer can lead to back pain, and staring at screens can pull neck muscles out of alignment.
If you have new pain or old pain gets worse, a physical therapist can help you learn how to stand, sit and move to prevent future problems. Try Heat and Cold.
Heat increases blood flow to painful joints, relaxes tight muscles and helps eliminate waste products. Cold decreases blood flow to reduce swelling, slows the transmission of pain signals through nerves and inhibits inflammatory chemicals. Cold therapy is best for pain and swelling after exercise, during a flare or in the first 48 to 72 hours after an injury.
Later, try alternating hot and cold packs or warm and cold soaks switching back and forth after about 10 minutes. For an even bigger chill: Freeze half a paper cup of water, then rub the ice on sore spots for about 10 minutes. Be sure to protect your skin with a thin cloth or paper towel.
An oldie but goodie for heat therapy , warm paraffin wax can take the edge off pain in your hands or feet. Leave the wax on while it hardens, then peel it off. Bonus: Paraffin wax is an occlusive moisturizer that can plump and soften skin.
Since becoming popular in the West decades ago, acupuncture has been closely and often skeptically scrutinized. The vast majority of research — and there is plenty — has found that acupuncture has the ability to help a range of conditions, especially chronic pain.
Still, skeptics remain, and some findings have been mixed. For example, a analysis of both randomized controlled trials and review articles found that acupuncture was effective for knee osteoarthritis , back pain and fibromyalgia , but not hip osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. Another analysis of 32 randomized controlled trials found that fire acupuncture, which uses heated needles, worked better for pain than traditional acupuncture.
Other studies suggest traditional acupuncture is equally effective for all types of pain. These varying results may be due to the quality and length of studies, not to a problem with acupuncture itself. Various forms of bodywork can provide temporary pain relief. Try full-body Swedish massage for stress relief and relaxation, deep-tissue massage, which releases knots in deeper tissue on deeper muscle tissue to release knots, or myofascial release, which uses long, stretching strokes to relieve tension around connective tissue.
Certain counseling techniques may help ease anxiety, reduce emotional distress and improve sleep, which can make living with pain easier. Hypnosis or hypnotherapy. This relaxed state of focused attention makes you more open to suggestions.
Like acupuncture, hypnotherapy can be used to treat a number of conditions, but there is less quality research to back it up. Many randomized controlled trials have shown major improvements in pain after about eight hypnosis sessions. Fewer sessions seem to have less effect.
In biofeedback, a machine will show how thoughts and actions can affect your autonomic nervous system. Regular physical activity can contribute to improved sleep and support bone health, brain health, and weight control.
Stay as active as your health allows. Some physical activity is better than none. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults be physically active at a moderate intensity for minutes per week.
Visit the health. gov website to learn more about the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Get more information about how to exercise safely with arthritis or find a community program near you.
Physical activity community programs —like Enhanced®Fitness , Walk With Ease , and others—help adults with arthritis be healthier and reduce arthritis symptoms. Talk to your doctor if you have joint pain and other arthritis symptoms.
Early and effective treatment is important to minimize symptoms and prevent the disease from getting worse, especially for certain forms of arthritis, like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout.
The focus of arthritis treatment is to. You can play an active role in controlling your arthritis by attending regular appointments with your health care provider and following your recommended treatment plan. This is especially important if you also have other chronic conditions, like diabetes or heart disease.
Losing excess weight and staying at a healthy weight is particularly important for people with arthritis. For people who are overweight or obese, losing weight reduces stress on joints, particularly weight bearing joints like the hips and knees. In fact, losing as little as 10 to 12 pounds can reduce pain and improve physical function for people with arthritis.
At any age, low-impact, arthritis-friendly physical activity for example, walking combined with healthy dietary changes can help you lose weight.
Joint injuries can cause or worsen arthritis. Choose activities that are easy on the joints like walking, bicycling, and swimming. These low-impact activities have a low risk of injury and do not twist or put too much stress on the joints. T ake steps to prevent or minimize joint injuries t o reduce the risk of developing or worsening osteoarthritis.
Actions include wearing protective equipment , seatbelts, and avoiding repetitive motion joint damage.
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Managing Arthritis: Strive for Five. Learn new self-management skills. Be active. Talk to your doctor. Manage your weight. Protect your joints. Use these 5 strategies to manage your arthritis at any age.
How can a self-management education workshop help me?
Relieeving the physical Relievinb, doctors check your Anti-cancer exercises Promoting healthy immune function swelling, discomforf and warmth. They'll also want to see how well you can move your joints. The analysis Promoting healthy immune function different types qrthritis body fluids can help pinpoint the type of arthritis you may have. Fluids commonly analyzed include blood, urine and joint fluid. To obtain a sample of joint fluid, doctors cleanse and numb the area before inserting a needle in the joint space to withdraw some fluid. These types of tests can detect problems within the joint that may be causing your symptoms. We include Arthditis we think are useful for Relieving arthritis discomfort readers. If you buy through links on arhritis page, we may Anti-cancer education a small commission. Medical News Today only shows you brands and products that we stand behind. Arthritis is the term for a group of conditions that cause joint inflammation and pain. Although medical treatments can help, some home remedies and lifestyle changes may also reduce symptoms.
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