Treatments for Arthritis: 5 Tips on Living with Arthritis

Living with arthritis is never easy. People who are suffering from this disease will tell you that for sure. You will face constant pain in your arms, legs, your back, and joints. In a word, you will feel like your bones are falling apart. Equally important is that the pain can have a serious impact on your mental health. You have to remember that you have to stay strong. It’s not easy to live with the constant pain of arthritis, but you will have to learn how to make the most out of it. While there is no cure for this condition, there are treatments that can make your living with arthritis easier. With the proper treatment, you can experience real pain relief, and you will feel like new in no time at all.
Here are some key tips on how one can lessen the pain of arthritis:

-          Exercise

-          Long walks

-          Electrical treatment

-          Hot and cold treatments

-          Steroid and injections

Exercise

Try to get exercise more often, especially after you have been lying in bed for a long period of time. The pain is more severe when you get up from sleep. That happens because when you sleep, the body is more static and you do not move as much as you need. The nerves and the bones are clenched, and therefore produce more pain than when they are in motion. This is why it is important to perform some exercises after getting up from bed. That way, the nerves and the bones will be made to move, and in time you will feel real pain relief. However, be aware that this pain relief cannot happen after just one day of work. You will have to exercise every day. It is also good to exercise if you find yourself staying in one position like sitting or standing for too long. Start with doing a few light stretches and then maybe a little walking. You can start slow, but do increase the pace little by little each day. Exercise also helps to keep your weight in check, thus reducing any extra pressure on the joints. An additional benefit to exercising is that it helps strengthen muscles which in turn helps support the joint.

Long walks

Long walks are always useful in pain relief from arthritis. When we say long walks, we mean at least 5-6 km per day. Just like the example with exercises, long walks will make the nerves move a bit and the pain will be gone in just a few days. At first, it’s really hard because of the pain, but after a few days, you will notice that there is a difference. The pain will be mitigated and you will feel better in no time at all. Just remember, let long walks become your daily practice. They are good not only for arthritis but for your overall health as well.

Electrical treatment

Electrical treatment has to be prescribed by your doctor and has to be done at least 2-3 times on a weekly basis. It works in a very simple way. Electrical treatment actually awakens the nerves. There are special pipes or pliers that are stretched to the nerves (the nerves that are causing you pain) and the special pliers send electric waves in the form of an electroshock. This way, you can soften the pain, but not completely. Electrical treatment is good for people who cannot move a lot such as the elderly, but they can help younger ones as well. The bad thing is that they are not for free, and the treatments will cost a good amount of money. So they will be good to start from somewhere, then you will have to exercise or go for long walks in order to mitigate pain.

Hot and cold treatments

Hot and cold treatments are always useful in alleviating the pain caused by arthritis. This is a very simple way to improve your health. Heat treatment usually requires a certain hot object to be placed on the painful area. However, a hot treatment can also be a simple hot bath. Just fill your bath with hot water (as hot as you can handle), and submerge yourself in it until the water starts to get cold. Repeat this process at least twice a day. Cold treatments can be done by placing ice cubes or an ice pack directly where the pain is located. This can be very unpleasant but at the same time very useful in easing the pain.

Steroids and injections

Steroids and injections, just like electric treatments, can be only prescribed by the doctor. They must be injected directly into the painful area. Steroids can also be taken orally. They are very useful, although not recommended to be used for long periods. For example, if you are exposed to steroid treatment for six months, you will have to take a break from them for at least a month. In between, you can try to exercise a bit.

Additional tips

Besides the abovementioned points, some other ways to help make living with arthritis more bearable are: ensuring that you do not overwork the affected joint or put any additional pressure or physical stress on it, giving your joints adequate rest, and eating a healthy diet with all the required vitamins and minerals. If you feel your symptoms getting worse, then don’t hesitate to visit your doctor and get a professional opinion. Educate yourself on alternative pain relief therapies like acupuncture or aromatic massages and you might find something that works for you. Reach out to family and friends and don’t be ashamed to ask for help when you really need it--those who care about you will be happy to be of assistance. Find a support group of people who are going through similar ailments so that you know that you are not alone and can get much-needed emotional and moral support from people who understand exactly what you are going through.

These are some of the solutions to help you ease the pain caused by arthritis. Try to make the most out it. Sometimes even a simple vacation in a warm place can go a long way in helping you feel better physically and emotionally even with this disease.