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Natural arthritis pain relief

Arthritis refers to a variety of conditions involving pain and inflammation in the joints.

Is it a degenerative condition, meaning that the symptoms tend to worsen over time, or is it a type of autoimmune arthritis with associated extra-articular symptoms, characterized by inflammatory flare-ups and a chronic clinical course?

These two types of arthritis include osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

OA primarily occurs when cartilage wear and tear causes bones to rub against each other, causing friction, damage, and inflammation.

RA is a systemic condition that triggers symptoms throughout the body. It is an autoimmune disease and occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy joint tissue.

Doctors can prescribe medications to relieve arthritis pain, but they often recommend natural approaches as well.

Remember to talk to your doctor before trying any arthritis remedy, whether or not it involves medication.

1. Control your weight

Your weight can have a big impact on arthritis symptoms. The extra weight puts more pressure on your joints, especially your knees, hips, and feet.

The American College of Rheumatology and Arthritis Foundation (ACR/AF) guidelines strongly recommend losing weight if you have OA and are overweight or obese.

Your doctor can help you set a goal weight and design a program to help you reach that goal.

Reducing stress on your joints by losing weight can help:

improve your mobility

decrease pain

prevent future damage to your joints

2. Get enough exercise

If you have arthritis, exercise can help you:

control your weight

keep your joints flexible

strengthen the muscles around the joints, which offers more support

Current guidelines strongly recommend starting a proper exercise program. Exercising with a trainer or another person can be particularly beneficial as it increases motivation.

Good options include low-impact exercises, such as:

for walk

cycling

Tai Chi

water activities

swimming

3. Use hot and cold therapy

Hot and cold treatments can help relieve the pain and inflammation of arthritis.

Heat treatments may include taking a long, warm shower or bath in the morning to help relieve stiffness and using an electric blanket or moist heating pad to reduce discomfort at night.

Cold treatments can help relieve joint pain, swelling, and inflammation. Wrap a gel ice pack or bag of frozen vegetables in a towel and apply to sore joints for quick relief. Never apply ice directly to the skin.

Capsaicin, which comes from chili peppers, is a component of some topical ointments and creams that can be purchased without a prescription. These products provide heat that can relieve joint pain.

4. Try acupuncture

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese medical treatment that involves inserting fine needles into specific points on the body. Practitioners say it works by deflecting energies and restoring balance to your body.

Acupuncture can reduce arthritis pain and is conditionally recommended by the ACR/AF. Although there is not enough evidence to confirm its benefits, the risk of harm is considered low.

Be sure to find a licensed and certified acupuncturist to perform this treatment.

5. Use meditation to cope with pain

Meditation and relaxation techniques can help reduce arthritis pain by reducing stress and allowing you to cope better. Reducing stress can also help reduce inflammation and pain.

The ACR/AF recommends tai chi and yoga. These combine meditation, relaxation, and breathing techniques with low-impact exercises.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), studies have found that practicing mindfulness meditation is helpful for some people with RA.

6. Follow a healthy diet

A diet rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole foods can help boost your immune system and overall health. There is some evidence that dietary choices can affect people with RA and OA.

A plant-based diet provides antioxidants, which can help reduce inflammation by scavenging free radicals from the body.

On the other hand, a diet rich in red meat, processed foods, saturated fat, and added sugar and salt can aggravate inflammation, which is a hallmark of arthritis.

7. Add turmeric to dishes

Turmeric, the common yellow spice in Indian dishes, contains a chemical called curcumin. It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Research suggests that it may help reduce the pain and inflammation of arthritis.

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Wrist Pain After a Fall With An Outstretched Hand

There are a variety of wrist injuries that can occur from a traumatic fall with an outstretched hand. These injuries are called FOOSH (fall on an outstretched hand) injuries. Probably the best known FOOSH is a distal radius fracture, which is first identified and treated by a physician. As a healthcare professional you may be seeing an increase in referrals for wrist pain from falls this time of year, now may be a good time to review the clinical signs used to find other FOOSH injuries.

Scaphoid fractures

Scaphoid fractures occur with hyperextension of the wrist combined with radial deviation. The navicular is located in the anatomical snuffbox at the radial wrist and at the base of the thumb. There may be a suspicion of a scaphoid fracture even after normal initial radiographs because it is said that this particular fracture does not always show up immediately on standard radiographs. Clinical signs that help identify a scaphoid fracture if there is pain in the radial wrist include tenderness of the scaphoid, axial compression of the thumb, and a history of falling onto a hyperextended wrist.

Scapholunate Ligament (SL) Injury

An injury or tear to the SL ligament can occur with a FOOSH or a sudden load on the wrist. An injury to this ligament will likely cause pain and swelling in the dorsal radial wrist. Two useful clinical signs for a suspected SL ligament injury are palpation just distal to Lister's tubercle on the dorsal radius (with acute pain indicating an SL injury) and scaphoid displacement test. To perform the navicular displacement test, apply pressure to the volar prominence of the navicular while moving the wrist from ulnar deviation to radial deviation with slight wrist flexion. A painful snap with reproduction of symptoms when the pressure is removed is usually indicative of a ligament injury, but be sure to check the unaffected side for information on the laxity of the reference ligament.

Triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) injury

An injury to the TFCC can occur with a FOOSH with excessive forearm rotation and causes ulnar side wrist pain. If injury to the TFCC is suspected, check for the ulnar fovea sign and the TFCC load test. The ulnar fovea sign is performed by pressing the thumb between the ulnar styloid process and the flexor carpi ulnaris tendon and between the ulnar head and the pisiform. This sign is positive if it replicates the individual's pain. The TFCC load test is performed by loading the wrist with ulnar deviation and then moving it in the volar and dorsal directions. A positive test reproduces pain and symptoms.

Dr. Nandan Rao is Arthroscopy surgeon in Surat with specialty training in joint preservation and sports orthopedics, ligament treatments,fracture management,joint replacements. With over 10 years of experience in arthroscopy and joint preservation techniques, Best arthroscopy surgeon in Surat & near by from Ahmedabad, Bharuch, Vapi, Vadodara

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