How to Manage the Pain of Arthritis

Pain occurs for assorted reasons. Sometimes it is caused by an injury, while at others it is a symptom of an illness or health condition. In most instances, the pain will go away when the injury has healed or when the person has recovered from the illness. But there are times when a health problem is ongoing and, as such, the pain associated with it is too. Take arthritis as an example. 

What is Arthritis? 

Arthritis is a health condition that causes joints to become inflamed and painful. It is a chronic health condition for which there is no cure. In addition to inflammation and pain, those affected by arthritis will commonly experience stiffness of their joints as well as tenderness and a cracking sound when they move the affected joint. 

The most common joints affected by arthritis are the hips, knees, and hands, although the condition can literally affect any joint in the body. For some people, the symptoms of arthritis are quite mild, and they come and go. For others though, the pain is almost constant, and it affects their ability to live a normal life. 

How to Manage Arthritis Pain

It is a good idea to speak to your doctor about what you should and should not be doing in terms of exercise. If you have chronic pain associated with arthritis, your doctor might refer you to a medical cannabis pain clinic such as KindlyMD. Pain clinics use a range of treatments, including where appropriate medicinal cannabis, to treat both chronic and acute pain. 

For most people, it is important to keep the joints moving, but it is imperative that you don’t try to do more than your body can handle so as not to damage your joints even further. Gentle stretching is usually a good idea, and you may be referred to a physical therapist for help with this. You will also be advised about balancing both exercise and rest so that you don’t overdo things. 

Being overweight can make the symptoms of arthritis worse. Overweight individuals struggling with painful arthritis symptoms might be advised to make changes to their diet and incorporate more exercise to try to reduce their weight, all in the hopes that this will help with their pain. Smoking can also increase the pain of arthritis because of the stress it causes on connective tissues. Many pain doctors can recommend a program designed to help you quit smoking.

Medication is often the first treatment recommended by regular doctors, and while over-the-counter and prescription drugs can help ease the pain associated with arthritis, many people would prefer to deal with their pain in other ways. Prolonged use of medication can lead to a reliance on them or the patient getting to the point where they are no longer getting the relief they once were. This then means that stronger medication is required. Most pain doctors prefer to use other therapies to treat ongoing pain and will recommend medication only when used in conjunction with complimentary treatments. 

Some of these complimentary therapies are: 

• yoga
• breathing exercises
• music therapy
• journalling
• meditation
• cognitive behavioral therapy
• acupuncture
• massage
• acupressure.

Conclusion

There are many conditions that cause pain in the body, and arthritis is just one of them. This is a chronic condition for which there is no cure. It causes inflammation of the joints and can be very painful. Those with arthritis often use medication to treat the pain, but there are many other things that will also help such as diet and lifestyle changes and complimentary therapies such as yoga, meditation, and massage.