Helpful Steps to Ease the Pain of Rheumatoid Arthritis

One of the difficulties of living with a chronic condition is that it never entirely goes away. While individuals suffering from a chronic illness may have periods when symptoms are all but invisible, there will also be periods when the effects of the condition can be debilitating.

Although there isn’t a known cure for rheumatoid arthritis, there are a variety of different strategies that individuals can adopt to help alleviate and mitigate their symptoms. If an individual is careful to work at maintaining a lifestyle that reduces symptoms associated with rheumatoid arthritis whenever possible, then when flare-ups do occur they may be shorter or less severe.

Take a look at several different strategies here for coping with the effects of rheumatoid arthritis.

Currently there is no known cure for rheumatoid arthritis, but there are multiple ways to reduce symptoms. These preventive measure might affect you differently than someone else with RA. 

Eat well and healthy:  There is no one diet that can cure RA. But there have been success stories of individuals who have worked to eradicate their symptoms by following a more wholesome diet plan. Avoid any food which can lead to increase in inflammation. Instead, try to develop an anti-inflammatory diet. Go for foods that are rich in antioxidants. The Mediterranean diet is one such popular example. Avoid foods that are high in fats as well as any processed food items.

Maintain a healthy balance between physical activity and resting: With chronic medical conditions, there is always a concern in regards to physical activity. When it comes to RA, physical activity can lead to flare-ups and an increase in inflammation. So, it becomes important to balance resting as well as some light activity. Rest during a flare-up, and go for very light activity once you feel better. Exercising is known to promote good overall health, and may even ease RA symptoms after staying in a routine.

Make sure your treatment regimen is unique to you: When supplying a patient with medications, doctors can two approaches: The first one being use of steroids, which can be applied orally, or taken through injections. These help to provide relief from inflammation caused in the joints and also reduce the pain. NSAIDs are also commonly prescribed to manage the pain.

Various therapeutic approaches: Consider multiple therapeutic approaches for to improve symptoms. Massage has shown some good results in RA patients. Another is the use of hot and cold therapy for reducing arthritis pain. It can be applied on the affected regions. Physical therapy has also shown a lot of benefit for certain RA individuals. It is very similar to regular activity but under the guidance of a professional.

Join a support group: While dealing with a drastic life-changing illness, there can be a lot of psychological changes leading to depression or sadness. Join support groups or strengthen your own personal support system when carrying out simple seem to be impossible.

Read on to learn more about rheumatoid arthritis pain management.