Firstly please let me state that I am not a doctor nor do I have any medical training. These tips are merely suggestions from me and of course you should always seek advice from your own doctor before changing your treatments. As a fellow sufferer I have trawled the internet looking for advice and tips and I thought it would be useful to others to share what I have found.
- Firstly, if you are overweight, do something about it. Excess weight puts unnecessary stress on your joints especially hips, knees and ankles. Any exercise helps. Try going for walks if you can, or swimming.
- Exercise whenever your arthritis allows you to. If you don’t keep your joints moving they will seize up making the pain even worse and more frequent. If you suffer badly even raising and lowering of the limbs and simple stretching will help keep your joints moving and strengthen the surrounding tissues and muscles. If possible try to do some weight bearing exercise as this helps improve bone density. If you have arthritis in your hands or wrists try squeezing a stress ball or firm sponge.
- Apply heat to the affected area. Many sufferers report that wet heat is better than dry heat, in other words try a warm bath rather than a warm gel pad.
- Reports suggest that tablets containing chondroitin and glucosamine can help restore cartilage in joints which contain these elements naturally although there is no medical evidence to suggest that oral ingestion of these elements results in absorption by the cartilage. Its worth a try though, as are oil supplements such as Cod liver or omega.
- Many people report that magnets are of benefit. They apparently work by improving circulation and thereby promoting healing. When buying magnetic bracelets look for high strength magnets. When I was looking on the web I found the best ones were described as "golf bracelets" (apparently helps your golf swing-strange, I know!) Be careful if you have a pacemaker though!
- Some people have reported benefits from taking a supplement of Black cherry concentrate daily. Black cherries or Tart cherries apparently have a rich natural form of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory and can help reduce uric acid levels in the body.
- Some other foods which have anti-inflammatory properties include: broccoli, leek, celery, pineapple, red onions, apples, cantaloupe melon, cod, salmon, ginger, cinnamon, liquorice, parsley, olive oil, green tea. Try them.
- Ibuprofen is better than paracetemol for pain relief as it has anti-inflammatory properties too.
- I have personally found Ibuleve maximum strength gel (10% ibuprofen) to be the best topical lotion to relieve pain (and believe me I've tried many) although you need to be careful how much you use while taking other medication.
- Stay positive. It sounds corny I know but wallowing in your pain only makes you focus on it and makes it more unbearable. Try to find things to occupy your mind and stay busy. Again I know it is corny but I often think about people in more pain than me and try to think how lucky I am. Depending on the severity of your arthritis this may work for you or not, but I think about the things I can do that some sufferers can't; Thank goodness I am able to open jars, I am glad I am able to climb the stairs etc.
I hope these tips help you, many of them have helped me. If you have any better tips I am always on the lookout for anything that may help.
