Relieving arthritis discomfort -
However, no single treatment is guaranteed to produce complete and consistent pain relief, and doctors say many patients have unrealistic expectations about how much improvement medicine can provide.
Many nondrug options are available to help you achieve that goal, either alone or in combination with medical therapies. It starts with being good to your body.
Eat well. Hundreds of studies have shown that a mostly plant-based diet can significantly cut inflammation and pain. One meta-analysis of seven randomized controlled trials looked at several anti-inflammatory eating patterns, including Mediterranean, vegan, vegetarian and keto diets.
All led to a profound reduction in pain. Not every trial has shown such positive results for every plant-based diet, but most have proven effective for chronic pain. Stay active. Regular exercise is just as important as diet. It strengthens muscles that support the joints, improves flexibility, balance and mood, and can relieve pain significantly.
Try to get at least to minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise every week. Federal and organizational guidelines also recommend two weekly strength-training sessions. To start, try a brisk minute walk on at least five days along with two days of weight lifting or resistance training.
Take an active break. Balance activity with active recovery. This allows your body time to repair muscles after exercise. 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. Published Nov Applying heat to painful joints can ease your discomfort. It can increase blood flow to sore muscles, loosens stiff joints, and can distract the brain from pain.
Try heat therapy using a:. See When and Why to Apply Heat to an Arthritic Joint. You can also buy a heat wrap, such as Thermacare, which can provide continuous, low-level heat for several hours while you go about your day. Watch: Video: How to Make a Homemade Heat Pack. Arthritis typically goes hand-in-hand with painful joint inflammation.
Applying a cold compress to the skin over the affected joint can reduce painful inflammation. It also may slow nerve impulses, which can interrupt the pain signals. The effect of cryotherapy on nerve conduction velocity, pain threshold and pain tolerance. Br J Sports Med. See 3 Types of Cold Packs for Arthritis.
People with chronic pain who have social networks tend to rate their pain lower and are less likely to report that pain interferes with their day-to-day activities.
Association of Resilience and Social Networks with Pain Outcomes Among Older Adults. Popul Health Manag. If leaving the house poses challenges, consider joining an online group where people with your condition can share experiences and offer support.
Visit our Back and Neck Pain Support Group to find advice and support from others with chronic pain. Your body is designed for movement. Ironically, if you're not moving much because you're in pain, your inactivity can make the pain worse. Gentle stretches can help you maintain your mobility and range of motion—and keep pain at bay.
Your doctor or physical therapist can help you find stretches and exercises that are appropriate for your unique situation. See Knee Stretches and Shoulder Stretches.
The turmeric root has been shown to have great anti-inflammatory properties and many people add turmeric powder to sauces, smoothies, or tea. For many people, a daily curcumin supplement of mg to 1, mg is okay. Also, keep an eye out for supplements that contain preservatives or other additives, such as gluten, dairy, and soy.
See Turmeric and Curcumin for Arthritis. Getting enough sleep is important for managing pain and promoting healing. Practice habits that help you get restful, adequate sleep.
For example, make your bedroom quiet and dark, ban electronics from the bedroom, and establish a regular schedule for going to bed and getting up. See Therapies for Treating Insomnia. Meditation is a quick, simple, and free way to relax.
One easy method: choose a sound that is pleasing to you but has no particular meaning, sit or lie somewhere comfortable, close your eyes, and repeat the sound in your mind. You can also try guided meditation, which involves a source giving you suggestions to guide your meditative thoughts.
Many phone apps, online videos, and DVDs offer guided meditation. Start with a few minutes of meditation per session. You may gradually lengthen your daily meditation time to 10, 20, or even 30 minutes. It's not well understood how this ancient Chinese healing technique functions, but some people report it helps reduce their chronic pain.
While there is not a lot of high-quality research regarding acupuncture, the studies that do exist suggest acupuncture may work better than a placebo to treat:. Acupuncture is generally regulated by states. A number of states require acupuncturists to pass examinations conducted by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine to become licensed acupuncture practitioners.
As with any health care professional, asking in advance about the practitioner's experience and training is advised. See Acupuncture and Reiki Healing for Arthritis.
Therapeutic massage can loosen your tight muscles, get your blood flowing, and calm your mind. A review of several small medical studies 19 Nelson NL, Churilla JR. Massage therapy for pain and function in patients with arthritis: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials.
Am J Phys Med Rehabil ;— found massage may help reduce pain in people who have osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, though results were mixed. See Manual Therapies for Arthritis Pain. A natural treatment may reduce pain by a small amount, but when combined with other natural treatments, you may be able to cut your pain dramatically.
Consider trying the ideas above, and ask your health care provider for other suggestions. The best treatments are ones that suit your lifestyle and that you can commit to in the long term.
Tai Chi and Yoga for Arthritis. Top 4 Supplements to Treat Arthritis Pain. Susan Blum is a functional medicine practitioner specializing in the prevention and treatment of chronic disease.
She is the Founder and Director of the Blum Center for Health and has nearly two decades of experience practicing functional and integrative medicine. Home Blog 11 Ways to Relieve Pain Naturally. By: Susan Blum, MD, MPH, Functional Medicine Physician. Stretching and strengthening your joints affected by arthritis can help decrease pain and increase flexibility.
See Knee Strengthening Exercises. Get moving Exercise is frequently associated with a decrease in arthritis joint pain. See Ways to Get Exercise When You Have Arthritis What type of exercise you do depends on your current fitness level and other factors, such as where you live and whether you have access to a gym.
See Exercising with Arthritis 2. Eat more fiber Research suggests that people who eat high-fiber diets have less osteoarthritis pain.
Warm-up aching joints Applying heat to painful joints can ease your discomfort. Try heat therapy using a: Hot water bottle Gel-filled pad that can be heated in the microwave Electric heating pad Hot bath See When and Why to Apply Heat to an Arthritic Joint You can also buy a heat wrap, such as Thermacare, which can provide continuous, low-level heat for several hours while you go about your day.
Watch: Video: How to Make a Homemade Heat Pack 4. Or cool down joints Arthritis typically goes hand-in-hand with painful joint inflammation. Show Transcript. Cultivate relationships People with chronic pain who have social networks tend to rate their pain lower and are less likely to report that pain interferes with their day-to-day activities.
Stretch Your body is designed for movement. See Knee Stretches and Shoulder Stretches 7. Try turmeric The turmeric root has been shown to have great anti-inflammatory properties and many people add turmeric powder to sauces, smoothies, or tea. See Turmeric and Curcumin for Arthritis 8.
Practice good sleep habits Getting enough sleep is important for managing pain and promoting healing.
Staying Relieving arthritis discomfort, managing your disscomfort, and making changes Relieving arthritis discomfort your Wound healing technology are Wound healing technology few Relievingg ways to doscomfort arthritis pain. Energizing herb mix alternative therapies Relieing also help Rekieving flexibility or relieve stiffness. For Dynamic fat burning, osteoarthritis results from the wear and tear of cartilage that causes bones to rub together. This leads to friction, damage, and inflammation. Other types of arthritis like rheumatoid arthritis RA are autoimmune conditions. These happen when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy joint tissue, causing inflammatory flares. Doctors can prescribe medication to relieve the pain of arthritis, but they often recommend natural approaches, too.
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