6 Ways to Manage Arthritis

When you have osteoarthritis, you know how difficult it can be to live with painful, swollen and stiff joints. Discomfort caused by the loss of the bone-cushioning effect of cartilage can turn everyday tasks into painful ordeals. Here are seven ways that can help you be in control of your condition:

Take a Hike

Or at least a walk. According to the Arthritis Foundation, it’s the perfect way to get moving. Walking helps strengthen bones and muscles and maintain joint flexibility. Walking can also be a social activity you can do with friends, or make it a family. Speak with your health care provider before beginning any exercise routine.

Chill Out or Heat Up One method for taming painful, swollen joints is to apply cold to the inflammation. Cold works by numbing the area and constricting blood vessels. You can apply cold with an ice pack or frozen vegetable packs. Applying heat can also reduce pain by increasing the blood flow to the painful joint area, helping muscles to relax. You can apply heat with heating pads, warm compresses, heat patches, or warm baths. Talk to your health care provider about how best to use cold or heat therapy to manage your pain.

Take Your Meds as Prescribed But if you’re finding it difficult to take your non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) every day as prescribed because of stomach issues, ask your doctor about other options.

Keep Your Weight Down - Losing weight has additional benefits outside of just looking better. Carrying excess weight increases the load placed on joints like the knee and can potentially speed up the breakdown of cartilage. Losing as little as 11 pounds can help to reduce your risk of knee arthritis by over 50 percent.

Learn to Relax Tightened muscles, fast and shallow breathing, and raised heart rate and blood pressure are side effects common to pain and physical and emotional stress. Learning to relax may help to reverse these effects to help you get a better sense of well-being, thus making it easier to manage pain. Some people who look to take their mind away from pain turn to guided imagery, a technique that encourages focusing on pleasant images and deep and slow breathing.

Wear Sensible Shoes Experts recommend shoes with a wide, low, flared heel or lateral post shoes, like running sneakers for ankles weakened by arthritis. Also consider shoe inserts to not only provide shock absorption, but also to keep your ankle from rolling.