Living with arthritis can be very hard. There are days when your joints will hurt very badly, and sometimes it will be hard to complete your normal day to day routine. This article will give you many tips to help you learn to deal with your arthritis, and enjoy life again.
Keep pain relieving medications and ointments handy, such as on the countertop. If you suffer from a sudden attack, you may not want to have to reach and grab for your pills. In addition, if you have your medications in your purse or in your car, they will be available if you need them while not at home.
If you are suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, make sure you’re getting enough omega-3 in your diet. If you’re not, consider taking a supplement like fish oil to help get those levels up. Studies have shown that omega-3 has many anti-inflammatory benefits for those who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis.
As simple as it may seem, it is important that you flex your muscles at least one an hour, if you suffer from arthritis. Sitting or standing in one spot for too long can cause your joints to cramp up and give you pain. For 5 minutes, stand on one foot, with the other pushed up against the wall and then, switch feet.
If you can, avoid relying on pain killers when your arthritis is bothering you. Not only can pain killers be addicting, but they only provide temporary relief. If your doctor has prescribed these to you and you are going to use them, make sure you use them as the doctor prescribed.
Make sure to educate yourself as much as possible about rheumatoid arthritis, and how it can affect pregnancy and breastfeeding. There’s a lot of different information out there, and being well educated can make all the difference in the world in how you handle your symptoms and flare ups.
Join a group for parents with rheumatoid arthritis to have support from others who have been there and done that. Being able to get advice from someone who has first hand knowledge of the challenges can be a great help in dealing with the issues that you will face. Check online for groups if there aren’t any real life groups in your area.
Get your vision checked regularly. People who suffer from arthritis are much more likely to have issues with their eyes as well. Make sure you take care of yourself by seeing an eye doctor at least yearly, in order to keep track of any developing issues that may occur with your condition.
You should have physical therapy to help with arthritis pain. A physical therapist can help you with establishing a workout that will lessen the pain and inflammation that is due to the arthritis. A good workout can also help improve your flexibility. Follow this plan religiously, and you will start to feel positive results.
Use musical therapy in order to ease the pain when you are suffering from severe inflammation. While it isn’t a permanent fix and is far from medication and serious pain relief, there are studies that have proven classical music and other soothing types of music to be therapeutic when treating pain from arthritis.
Share your struggles with arthritis with your friends and family. If they know what you are facing in your everyday life, they will understand you better and may be able to offer valuable insight and assistance. Once people understand that you are suffering and aren’t feeling your best, they will often offer help.
When trying to separate egg whites, use this tip to help avoid the repetitive stress of moving the egg back and forth. Place a funnel over a glass and crack the egg into the funnel. The whites of the egg will slide right into the glass while the funnel will catch and separate the egg yolk.
Keep an arthritis journal. If you keep track of your pain in a diary you should be able to pinpoint what the triggers for it are. By writing down what you’ve eaten, the activities you’ve engaged in, and the degree of pain you experience, you’ll be able to identify pain triggers.
Be protective of your joints by finding alternative ways of accomplishing tasks. Opening doors with your shoulder as opposed to your hands or sliding objects instead of lifting them can prevent some of the pain or discomfort you feel. Try resting books on the palm of your hand as opposed to using your fingers.
As we talked about in the beginning of this article, arthritis can be very hard to live with. If you know some tricks for making the pain easier to handle, you can control your arthritis better. Apply all of the advice that you have read, and you will be thankful that you did.
