A Guide for People Living with Arthritis Pain
August 01 2020
- Overcoming Arthritis: A Guide for People Living with Arthritis Pain
- How to Treat Arthritis Pain – Natural Remedies
- Hot and Cold Therapy
- Massage
- Exercise
- Walking
- Yoga
- Swimming
- Aerobics
- What to Eat and What Not to Eat If You Have Arthritis
- Fatty Fish
- Spinach and Broccoli
- Ginger
- Turmeric
- Garlic
- Citrus fruits
- Green tea
- Berries
- Walnuts
- Nightshade vegetables
- Fried and Processed Foods
- Alcohol and Tobacco
- Sugars and Refined Carbohydrates
- What Is Arthritis Pain?
- Different Types of Arthritis
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Gout
- All American Home Care Is Here For You
Overcoming Arthritis: A Guide for People Living with Arthritis Pain
Do you feel pain in your joints? Are you having a hard time getting up in the morning due to stiffness in your body? Then it is most probable that you are one of the many who is dealing with arthritis pain.
How to Treat Arthritis Pain – Natural Remedies
The pain of arthritis is certainly unrivaled. It limits the affected person from doing tasks that others can normally perform. To ease arthritis pain, you can buy over-the-counter pain medications. However, to prevent symptoms from persisting, it is imperative that you consult your doctor beforehand to get prescriptions for what to take for arthritis pain properly.
While it is ideal to obtain a doctor’s opinion when it comes to your health and medications to treat arthritis pain, there is also no harm in trying natural remedies at home to help ease your arthritis pain so long as it works well with your medical treatment. If you are suffering from arthritis pain, you can explore these home remedies to lessen the pain.
Hot and Cold Therapy
This is a good arthritis knee pain treatment at home that is done by applying alternating hot and cold treatments. Heat therapy stimulates blood flow and reduces muscle spasms while cold therapy reduces swelling by constricting the blood vessels and numbing the arthritis pain. For the heat treatment, you can either take a warm bath to help with stiffness or place a heating pad on aching joints. And for the cold treatment, you can either use a cold pack or wrapping ice on a towel and place it on painful spots. However, it is important not to overdo each treatment.
Massage
Massage requires proper training to perform it appropriately. If you cannot attend one, you can also learn self-massages. This is one of the best pain relief for arthritis in hands, plus it is easy to do. Rheumatologists say that massage helps relieve both pain and stiffness brought on by arthritis.
Exercise
Contrary to popular belief, exercising does not worsen arthritis. Instead, it relieves pain and stiffness caused by arthritis. According to an exercise psychologist, exercise is an integral part of medication to treat arthritis pain, stressing on the fact that it will not cause further damage to someone with arthritis. Presuming your doctor gave you permission to do exercises, here are some exercises to help for arthritis pain that you can try:
Walking
Walking is a great leg arthritis pain relief, aside from it being the simplest exercise routine. If you have arthritis, you probably will not want to walk because of the pain. But it should be the opposite. You should bear in mind that walking is the simplest and easiest form of helping your body, even if it is just around your house, backyard, or neighborhood. After several days of doing this exercise, you will find your body adjusting to it and making it one of your daily habits. Even if it is just a 30-minute walk outside, you will notice some changes that your body will thank you for.
Yoga
If you are just starting to do yoga, it is better to find a trainer that will help you begin. Your trainer should know that you have arthritis for him to teach you yoga positions that will help you as a beginner. Yoga is a kind of workout that includes moderate movements that are calming yet invigorating. It exercises not only your body but also your mind.
Swimming
This is known for its ability to improve a person’s breathing/heart rate while lessening the impact or force on the body. If you are hesitant to try this exercise because you do not know how to swim, worry no more because there are still some exercises that you can do in the water. Like, water aerobics, walking, flutter kicks, squat, and a lot more.
Aerobics
Dancing is also a kind of exercise. Even if you are in the comfort of your own home, you can do some aerobics. A lot of dance videos can be found online, from easy to hard. Just put on your comfortable clothes and shoes, and you are ready to sweat and dance your heart out. It does not matter if you cannot follow the beat; what matters is that you are moving your body and exercising it. Who knows, maybe you will get to discover your new talent?
What to Eat and What Not to Eat If You Have Arthritis
There is no cure for arthritis. However, having a healthy, well-balanced diet, regular exercise, and getting enough sleep helps reduce or even eliminate arthritis severity, effects, and symptoms. Taking Vitamins C, D, E, and K promotes bone health and helps in the regulation of skeletal mineralization. Also, having Glucosamine with Chondroitin and Omega-3 fatty acids relieves the pain and improves the function of the knee.
Listed below are the best foods to eat if you have arthritis. The list contains a variety of food with strong components that ease inflammation due to arthritis and, at the same time, boost overall health.
Fatty Fish
Fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, and tuna are filled with Omega-3 fatty acids, which are anti-inflammatory and help keep the heart healthy.
Spinach and Broccoli
Green leafy vegetables such as spinach are loaded with the antioxidant Kaempferol, which decreases the effects of the inflammatory agents linked with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Broccoli, on the other hand, is rich in vitamins K and C and is also rich in calcium, which is known for its bone-building benefits.
Ginger
Ginger has anti-inflammatory antioxidants. Taking up to 4g of ginger per day helps in managing arthritis symptoms.
Turmeric
A growing group of scientific evidence suggests that turmeric may help alleviate or prevent symptoms of arthritis, especially for RA.
Garlic
Garlic has sulfur compounds that act as an anti-inflammatory. Garlic also helps fight cartilage damage from arthritis.
Citrus fruits
Citrus fruits like oranges, limes, lemons, and grapefruits are rich in Vitamin C. Vitamin C maintains healthy joints with osteoarthritis and overall helps prevent inflammatory arthritis.
Green tea
Green tea contains the most powerful type of Catechin, EGCG- it is an antioxidant that eases inflammation. Other teas, including black and white tea, have this effect too, but green tea has more benefits and is considered a potential treatment for both OA and RA.
Berries
Berries are loaded with fiber and are full of health benefits. Berries have a lot of antioxidant power and protect the body against inflammation and free radicals that can damage cells and organs.
Walnuts
Walnuts are high in Omega-3 and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are healthier than saturated fats. It has been shown that it decreases the symptoms and grave effects of arthritis and RA.
Nightshade vegetables
Eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers are members of the nightshade family. While some claim that it provokes arthritis pain and inflammation because it contains Solanine, there is no evidence and research to support this allegation. In fact, research suggests that tomatoes are found to be an anti-inflammatory agent and can reduce DNA damage.
While there are plenty of foods that can ease arthritis, there are also a lot that can make it worse. Listed below are arthritis trigger food you have to avoid.
Fried and Processed Foods
Most foods that are fried contain carcinogens and numerous amounts of heavily processed preservatives and ingredients. Eating these will trigger the body’s defense mechanism, which will cause inflammation and set an arthritic flare-up.
Alcohol and Tobacco
Drinking any alcohol in moderation is fine for people with RA. However, for some types of arthritis, alcohol can trigger it and may cause more inflammation. Tobacco is bad for your heart and lungs; smoking can also lead to a more severe form of RA, and it may aggravate joint pain as well.
Sugars and Refined Carbohydrates
Consuming excess sugar can be linked to inflammation. Refined carbohydrates such as white rice, bread, and crackers can also worsen arthritis symptoms. The human body turns refined carbohydrates into sugar more quickly, which leads to increased inflammation and joint pain in the body.
What Is Arthritis Pain?
Arthritis is a condition that causes inflammation and pain in the joints, and it occurs commonly in older people. However, this condition can also happen to young people. It is a common misconception that arthritis only happens when you are older. The truth is it worsens as one gets older. In fact, in the USA, 60% of its population suffers from arthritis ranging from 18-64 years old and is expected to rise as the baby boomers age.
The initial sign of arthritis is pain, especially when using a particular joint like your hands, wrists, knees, or feet, and morning stiffness around the joints that lasts for at least an hour. Unfortunately, there is no cure yet for any type of arthritis. But the good news is that previous studies and researches suggest that there is a way on how to manage arthritis pain with different medications available in the market along with proper exercise and a complete and balanced diet.
Different Types of Arthritis
The term arthritis is commonly used to describe joint pain, stiffness, and swelling of joints. This is due to the fact that arthritis encompasses over 100 different types of arthritic conditions. The key to treating arthritis pain is knowing which type of arthritis you are suffering from. All types of arthritis show similar symptoms, joint pains, and inflammation, but their origins and severities vary. Among which are Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Gout. Below are some of the most prevalent types of arthritis.
Osteoarthritis
This is the most common type of arthritis affecting millions of people worldwide. It is a condition that involves inflammation of the bone and joint cartilage. It is the result of overusing the joints or a serious joint injury that happened in the past. This affects joints that bear your body’s weight, including your knees, hips, feet, and spine. What happens is that there is a progressive loss of the articular cartilage, a connective tissue allowing bones to glide against each other without friction, generating inflammation and causing pain.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid comes from rheumatism, which refers to a wide array of musculoskeletal illnesses. This type of arthritis is a chronic inflammatory condition that mostly affects the joints but can also involve other organ systems like skin and lungs. In addition, it is an autoimmune disorder causing the immune system to attack your own body, which is triggered by the interaction of genetic factors and the environment. As a result, the immune system goes after the joints. This commonly affects the hands, wrists, and knees damaging the joint tissues, resulting in chronic pain.
Gout
This type of arthritis occurs due to the accumulated urate crystals in the joints caused by hyperuricemia, or excessive uric acid in the body, particularly in the bloodstream. It is characterized by abrupt and acute pain attacks commonly occurring in the joint of the big toe.
All American Home Care Is Here For You
If you are suffering from arthritis, we understand your pain. We know how hard it is to get up and travel from your home to the hospital to receive treatments. With All American Home Care, our objective is to provide the highest quality of home health and personal care services to help our clients recover from illnesses and lead a better life. Give us a call now and let us start taking care of you.
