How to Live with Arthritis
Article from Orthogate
Arthritis pain is not something pleasant for anyone to live with. Although it is often thought as a side effect of aging, many younger people are affected by inflammatory arthritis. With that in mind, there is a large part of the workforce constantly suffering from arthritis pains. Odds are, you are either one of them, or you know someone who is. The first thing you should do if you suspect that you have arthritis is go see your primary care physician and follow their treatment plan. However, even with meds and treatments, you most likely will still feel pain. Luckily, there are plenty of home remedies that can help you live with them.
Diets and Home Treatments
While there are several different kinds of arthritis, there are certain home treatments that can benefit each one. One of the major treatments that even the most home-treatment cynical doctors will advise is a change in diet. If you are over a certain weight, your weight may be causing you more pain by causing pressure on your joints. Your doctor may suggest to eat more low carb foods and avoid sugars and red meat. However, the best diet you can follow to lessen your arthritis pain is an anti-inflammatory diet. While it’s not strictly a “diet”, it does help you learn what foods to avoid and what foods you should add to your routine.
Sleep and Pain
If you are suffering from arthritis pain, you might also be having trouble getting a good night’s rest. Even if you don’t have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, pain can interfere with your REM sleep, causing you to wake up still feeling tired. This article on “Creaky Joints” talks more about the research behind these concerns. Even if your pain doesn’t interfere with your sleep, studies show that your lack of sleep affects your pain levels.
Physical Activity and Arthritis
Another important part of living with arthritis is staying active. While it may feel like the last thing you want to do, light exercise can help you to stay healthy, no matter what kind of arthritis you have. It is important that you only practice low contact exercises, especially if you have inflammatory arthritis. Exercises that are safe to practice without hurting your joints are swimming, yoga, and cycling. It’s also good to take walks on days that you aren’t up to a workout.
On the other hand, you must learn when to say no and listen to your body. In order to not worsen the progression in your joints, you don’t want to push yourself too far. A walk in the park might be healthy, but you might want to talk to your doctor before agreeing to an all-day hike up a mountain. A lot of people with arthritis pains often feel these pains in full force during and after especially active vacations, so looking into activities that allow for solid exercise without overexertion is crucial for keeping the pain at bay. Doing safe activities for your joints while on a family getaway, for example, allows for a quality vacation without negative effects and overdoing it.
When you are active or you over-do it, you might find yourself suffering a lot of pain in your joints. When this happens, you can take over-the-counter pain medication or practice some home remedies that might ease the pain. Hot and cold compresses are great for making the swelling go down in auto-immune arthritis reactions, but they are also a good pain relief for osteoarthritis. An old fashioned warm bath could also be the perfect solution to getting some relief. When you push yourself too far, take it as easy as life allows and rest. Your joints will only feel worse if you keep pushing them.
Plan Ahead to Prevent Pain
Finally, you can prevent arthritis pain by thinking ahead. If you’re going to have a long day, plan times that you can take a break or rest. If mobility aids take some pressure off of your lower joints, think about walking with one. Buy clothes that don’t have as many difficult buttons and zippers and don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
It’s not easy to live with the pain of arthritis, but with the right preparations and support system, you can be ready for anything your body throws at you.
The Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center of Oregon is an award-winning, board-certified orthopedic group located in downtown Portland Oregon. We utilize both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal trauma, spine diseases, sports injuries, degenerative diseases, infections, tumors and congenital disorders.
Our mission is to return our patients back to pain-free mobility and full strength as quickly and painlessly as possible using both surgical and non-surgical orthopedic procedures.
Our expert physicians provide leading-edge, comprehensive care in the diagnosis and treatment of orthopedic conditions, including total joint replacement and sports medicine. We apply the latest state-of-the-art techniques in order to return our patients to their active lifestyle.
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