Health & Medical Rheumatoid Arthritis

Seven Ways of Arthritis Treatment

There are many different ways of treating severe arthritis.
The way used to treat arthritis may depend on the symptoms and type of arthritis affecting the person.
i) Medication - Most people who experience severe arthritis will normally see a medical doctor to get medication to ease and reduce their arthritis pain.
Doctors will normally prescribe NSAIDs( Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) to reduce inflammation and swelling.
These NSAIDs may be beneficial in treating the symptoms and providing short term relief to those suffering from severe arthritis.
Some commonly used NSAIDs include aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen.
You also need to be aware that these NSAIDs may cause side effects like stroke, heart attack, stomach ulcers and kidney damage.
In view of this, these drugs can be used for short term pain relief.
ii) Physiotherapy - Together with medication, physiotherapy plays an important role in managing arthritis pain.
It can help you maintain independence through improved strength, mobility and flexibility.
Physiotherapists will examine your muscles, posture and the way you walk and this includes activities that causes you pain.
They will design a personalised treatment plan which may include hydrotherapy, massage and pain relief techniques.
iii) Surgery - For those people having advance arthritis, medication will no longer be an option.
They will have to go for surgery to have arthritis pain relief.
The operations may include a) replacing a badly damaged joint b) releasing trapped nerves c) removing the inflamed lining of the joint cavity d) removing bone to relieve pain e) repairing damaged tendons In most cases surgeries have been successful in restoring the knee-joints and reducing the pain substantially.
The disadvantage of surgery is that it is costly and there are cases where surgery fail to restore the knee joint.
iv) Exercise - For osteoarthritis, exercise may be the preferred option.
Exercise can help relieve stiffness, reduce pain and swelling and also improve muscle and bone strength.
The exercise programs may include a) low-impact aerobic activity b) range of motion exercise for flexibility c) strength training for muscle tone v) Weight management - Losing weight is another way that can greatly reduce knee-joint pain.
When a person has excess weight, this extra weight will normally add additional pressure on the knee-joint which aggravates the arthritis pain.
Young adults who are categorised as obese should try to lose weight as this will delay the onset of getting arthritis and joint pain.
Another thing about maintaining the right weight is that you will have less health problems as you grow older.
vi) Lifestyle changes - People who are afflicted by arthritis should participate in stress reducing activities like meditation, yoga or tai-chi.
We can improve the strength and flexibility of the joints by practicing certain yoga postures.
These postures include Warrior pose, Tree pose, Triangle pose, Bridge posture and Corpse pose.
If you regularly practice yoga using the right postures coupled with meditation, you can get pain relief from arthritis.
vii)Healthy and balanced diet - Eat a healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables, which contain important vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin E.
Eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as cold water fish(salmon, mackerel, and herring), flaxseed, rapeseed (canola) oil.
You can treat the arthritis pain that you are suffering with one of the above mentioned ways.
You should carefully consider your circumstances and situation that you are in before deciding which approach will bring the desired outcome.


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