Arthritis can be a difficult thing to handle. You can help yourself not get this debilitating condition, if you begin earlier in life to take preventive measures to lessen the effect it has on your health, by eating right and by moving certain joints certain ways. You sometimes can’t completely prevent it, but you can lessen the effect.
Learn as much as you can about the disease. The more you know about the symptoms and treatments for arthritis, the more of an active role you can play in your treatment plan. It can also help you to feel less alone, to read about what others with the condition are going through and what they’ve been trying.
Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight causes stress on the joints especially in the knees and hips. This added stress leads to flare-ups of arthritis. This is in addition to the well-known health dangers of being overweight and the detrimental effects it has on your mood and energy levels. Speak with your doctor about a safe weight loss plan.
Try heated pads or packs of ice to relieve joint pain. For best results, alternate using cold and heat. Before using the heat/cold method, get advice from your doctor about exactly what to do.
Go to occupational therapy. Many arthritis sufferers have problem spots in certain areas of their everyday home lives, but they let these go unchecked for different reasons. Visiting with an occupational therapist will let you address these concerns, and get help with working out proper solutions, rather than just ignoring the problems at hand.
Exercising regularly will do wonders for your energy levels when you are dealing with psoriatic arthritis. Try to aim for 15 to 30 minutes of exercise a day to give you more energy and keep your body healthy and your bones strong. Make sure to not overdo it and end up tiring yourself out.
Talk to your doctor and see about different kinds of pain relief options. If you suffer from arthritis symptoms, it is very important not to damage joints further and to look for safe methods and techniques for treating your pain. That is best accomplished by talking to your physician about the FDA approved treatments that can help your particular condition; your doctor may mention other techniques as well.
Let your friends and loved ones know how arthritis is affecting you. The more they know about how it affects your life, the more supportive and helpful they can be. If they know that you are suffering, they will have more compassion for you.
Purchase an ergonomic knife that is designed to help you cut and slice with ease without putting a strain on your joints. These knives give you better leverage so that you can use your body weight to do your cutting instead of using your joints in a repetitive fashion.
The proper diet allows you to attack your arthritis from inside in yet another way. A proper diet can have many amazing effects on your arthritic condition. Not to mention, as your improve your diet and rid yourself of arthritic symptoms, you are also able to focus on other problems being solved at the same time.
Try eating foods that have omega-three acids which can fight inflammation. Salmon and other fish can be high in these acids and is a natural way to fight inflammation. Inflammation is the greatest cause of pain from arthritis and when your body has natural substances to use such as omega-three, it can work against the inflammation while you are eating nutritiously.
During periods of non-inflammation and with the permission of your doctor, exercise to build energy and slow the onset of pain. Swimming or exercising in water is great for your joints because the water offers resistance without high strain. Water can also keep you cool thereby acting as a natural soother for pain and discomfort should it set in.
Reduce excess weight not only to improve overall health but to aid in decreasing your arthritis symptoms. Shedding pounds will subject your joints to less stress, and a healthy diet with anti-inflammatory ingredients can make arthritis flareups less painful. Rheumatoid arthritis sufferers will find such a diet a real relief.
It can seem like a little much to go see your right doctor after you’ve experienced a small twist or sprain, but make sure you take care of these little things while they’re not that big of a deal so they don’t turn into something bigger like arthritis later on. Have your doctor perform an x-ray to check for hairline fractures and splint or wrap your injury properly so that scar tissue will not form.
If you find yourself with arthritis, there are still many options to help you. Taking preventative measures may not be the only way to get rid of arthritis, but it sure will help in the long run. A doctor will be able to help you if you find yourself in a bind with arthritis.
