Best Treatments For ARTHRITIS Pain

There are two forms of arthritis: osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This article focuses on osteoarthritis, which is the most frequent form.

Osteoarthritis causes pain in the joints, especially the knees, hips, shoulders and back. It can affect almost any joint in the body. It is most often associated with aging, a long-term result of joint injury, and/or it is genetic. It can also occur as a result of repetitive work tasks, a sedentary lifestyle, or unknown causes.  If you have been diagnosed with this form of arthritis, you likely have been prescribed medication. This is effective for managing many arthritis symptoms but may not be the best or only treatment for you. 

Treatment Options For Arthritis Pain:

Medications

Glucosamine Chondroitin supplements

Fish Oil supplements

Other joint supplements

Physical Therapy

Exercise (in the water may be the most tolerable)

Injections

Bracing/Wrapping/Taping

Surgery (last option, only if all other treatments have failed and pain limits daily function)

How Movement Affects Arthritis Pain:

Even if you have joint pain, it is important to keep that joint moving! If not, it will get progressively stiffer and lose the ability to move in its full range of motion. The joint likely will hurt more if it is not moved for an extended period of time. Exercise is a big part of Physical Therapy treatment of arthritis joint pain. There are some options to make exercise less painful: ice, heat, in the water, and/or with medication. It is important to exercise without worsening the problem. For example, replace jogging with walking, bicycling or swimming. Or replace basketball with yoga or upper body weight training. 

Components of Arthritis Exercise:

1. Range of motion exercise: Move the joint in its full available motion, even if it is painful.

2. Strengthening exercise: Strengthen the muscles surrounding the painful joint, for added stability.

3. Flexibility exercise: Stretch the muscles and tendons to increase their length and allow for better joint motion.

Remember that your pain may be effectively managed with 1-2 months of Physical Therapy treatment! The arthritis does not disappear, but the symptoms may improve significantly. There may be some movements, exercises, postures, or strategies that significantly reduce your joint pain and enable you to do more activities with less pain! Aquatic Therapy (water therapy) may be ideal for you, especially if exercise out of the water is too painful to tolerate. If you belong to a gym, water aerobics may be your best option. Land exercises you may prefer are the stationary bike, walking, or the elliptical machine.

Can Arthritis Be Prevented?

The best way to prevent arthritis pain at an older age is to be healthy and active starting at a young age. Avoid traumatic injuries if possible. Maintain a healthy weight throughout your lifetime. Exercise regularly, including moving all your joints in their full available motions. Practice good posture in your youth and adulthood. Wear proper and supportive shoes with all exercising. Get routine physicals and notify your physician of all minor joint pain. Start a lifelong habit of healthy eating. 

Please comment below if you have found another effective treatment!

How Do I Manage Chronic Pain?

First, know your diagnosis. How can you treat a problem that has not been diagnosed? You will not know your traditional or alternative medical treatment options unless you have a specific diagnosis. Whether the condition is fibromyalgia, arthritis or cancer, there are treatment options available for you. Without a diagnosis, you will not receive adequate treatment. So pursue finding the answer for why you have chronic pain, which gives you the opportunity to accept the truth about your body. In that case, you can learn to live and thrive despite a painful diagnosis.

Second, know your body. You must identify the specific activities and movements that increase and decrease your pain and symptoms. You should be able to readily list your aggravating and relieving factors. That is helpful first for your physician, therapist or other healthcare practitioner as they develop your diagnosis and treatment plan.

Third, modify your lifestyle based on your list from #2 (aggravating and relieving factors). Here are some examples. 

a. Lie down on on your back for 10 minutes without a pillow and place ice on the painful area. This may give enough pain relief to get you through the afternoon of chores.

b. Avoid the chair that causes your back to hurt. Find another chair. Or if sitting in that chair for 1 hour causes your back to hurt, stand up and stretch every 30 minutes.

c. Sit in the back row of church so that you can stand up as frequently as needed. This may be the modification that enables you to get back to church again.

d. Do a specific exercise that decreases your pain, and repeat it every hour.

e. Consistently walk for 30 minutes per day because that keeps your pain better controlled.

f. The next time you buy a car, get one that is higher off the ground because getting in and out of a low car always aggravates your pain.

g. Cook for 15 minutes at a time if standing too long aggravates your pain.

Fourth, take medication as prescribed for a time period. If it is ineffective, follow up with your doctor to see what other medicine may be appropriate. Some medicine is most effective when taken consistently, so do not skip doses or days.

Fifth, comply with doctor's orders. This includes lifting restrictions, activity restrictions, lifestyle modifications, prescriptions and other medical treatments (such as Physical Therapy or chiropractic care). If you truly want to get better, what are you doing to make that happen? Are you doing the home exercise program from your PT?

Sixth, be sure you have exhausted your treatment options. Have you tried Physical Therapy, Aquatic Therapy, Chiropractor, Accupuncture, Massage Therapy, Exercise, Weight Loss, Medication, Natural Remedies, Vitamins/Supplements, Topical Rubs/Creams, Ice/Heat, Over-the-counter treatments, Injections, Diet changes, etc? 

Lastly, do your own research and be your own advocate. If you know the answer to #1, then find support groups, websites, books and articles on your diagnosis. Find out the best local or national specialists in your area of chronic pain.

Chronic pain is very difficult to live with, but you ARE still alive! God has blessed you with this life, so learn to best manage your pain so that you can fulfill your purpose for living!

Healthy snacks for WEIGHT LOSS and PAIN PREVENTION

One of the best ways to decrease stress on your joints (and therefore decrease PAIN) is to maintain a healthy weight. So here are some healthy snack options to consider. Always remember to check your portion sizes, even with healthy or low-fat foods. A serving size is often much less than you would expect. This is good news for fruit servings but bad news for dessert servings.

1. 1/2 of a large fruit, or 1 small-medium sized fruit. Or eat the whole large fruit and that counts as 2 of your fruit servings for the day!
2. Icy Pops. They are inexpensive, take several minutes to eat, and are very low in calories.
3. Yogurt. This could be a good replacement for ice cream.
4. Jello. It's low calories, sweet, and fun!
5. Nuts or seeds. Check your serving sizes before you begin munching though.
6. Triscuits. They have only 3 ingredients!
7. Hummus. It is full of protein! This is actually my son's favorite food!
8. Raw veggies, such as carrots, celery, cucumbers, etc. If you like to dip them, try hummus or fat-free sour cream (may want to add lemon pepper or another seasoning to the sour cream).
9. Deli meats (a few thin slices rolled up). These are usually high in sodium, so not the best option for those with high blood pressure.
10. Cereal. A serving with low-fat or skim milk might get you through your next sweet tooth.
11. Sauteed vegetables. Whenever I make them, I can't help but munch on them, especially if they are seasoned right (pepper, garlic powder, fresh lime juice, etc)

Maintain a HEALTHY WEIGHT for future Pain Prevention

You may not experience pain right now, but you will as you age. Don't you remember growing up and hearing your parents or grandparents say it hurts to grow older? "My back hurts...I'm just getting old." But do you have to hurt as you grow older? Maybe. But what steps can you take to decrease the chance of arthritis pain later in life? Here is a list of tips for maintaining a HEALTHY WEIGHT (no matter how old you are).

1. If you are going to snack, snack on healthier foods!
2. Drink more water!
3. Drink less sugar-filled, calorie-filled drinks!
4. Be more active!
5. Start exercising (you can even start with 5-10 minutes of walking)!
6. Decrease your fried food intake!
7. Replace red meat with white meat or fish at least 1x/week.
8. Stand up more. It burns more calories than sitting.
9. Eat more fruits and veggies!
10. Think of ways to decrease your volume of food consumption!

Please share any success stories or additional tips that have worked for you!