Effective Pain Relief Tips for Seniors with Arthritis

Most people believe that arthritis is another common disease that will inevitably affect them as they age. It is undoubtedly widespread affecting about 54 million adults today, but it is preventable. Simple activities like exercising, stretching, and eating a nutritious diet have been demonstrated to delay, if not wholly avoid, arthritic problems in adults.

Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid are the most frequent types of arthritis among hundreds of other classes that affect seniors.

The wearing down of protective cartilage (that cushions the ends of the bones) leads to osteoarthritis. It frequently affects the knee, hand, or spine joints and is characterised by pain and limited muscle action.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune and inflammatory disorder in which healthy cells in your body are erroneously targeted by your immune system, resulting in painful swelling in the affected body parts. It predominantly affects the joints, often numerous joints at once.

Other lesser frequent kinds of the disease include gout, fibromyalgia, childhood arthritis, and lupus. Since damage caused by the disease cannot be undone in most circumstances, its therapy mainly provides ways to lessen the discomfort endured by patients and keep the joints functional.

Treatment Tips for Arthritis

As there is no permanent arthritis treatment, and our primary objective is to stop it from harming the body further, you must follow the pharmaceutical plan provided by your physician. Along with it, you may have to experiment with other lifestyle strategies that could boost your joint mobility and minimise the influence of the pain on you and your daily work. Feel free to try different combinations of the remedies listed below to see what works best for you in getting arthritis pain relief.

Exercise: Low-impact workouts must be incorporated into your daily routine if you suffer from joint inflammation. Although this advice may seem to conflict with joint healing, it is not, and keeping your concerned joints immobile can worsen the condition. Immobilisation is to be strictly avoided in the case of arthritis. However, one must not undertake intense workouts but conduct easy activities that supply your joints with just enough mobility throughout the day. This will not only strengthen the muscles around the damaged joint but also aid in lowering discomfort.

Stay hydrated: When you have arthritis, maintaining proper hydration is essential. Our joint cartilages are about 70-80% water; dehydrating worsens the problem and increases pain.It is advised to maintain a daily hydration intake of at least 2 litres (more if the weather is hot or your activity level is high). If drinking so much water becomes monotonous, you can switch it to other nutritious beverages like juices and tea at different times, but watch your sugar intake.

Maintain a healthy weight: If you are overweight, you should consider exercising to lose weight. Lowering weight can significantly help people with arthritis in knee. Less body weight means less strain on your knee caps, which helps to reduce friction and ultimately reduce wear and tear. Losing just one pound of weight will minimise about 4 pounds of pressure from each of your knees!

Heat therapy: People frequently use heating pads and hot water bottles to relieve muscle pain. Heat relaxes stiff joints and tendons, increases circulation, and reduces muscle cramps. If you do not have any heating equipment, you can take a hot water shower or bathe your troubled muscle joint in lukewarm water for some time.

Note: Be careful not to burn your skin when using heat therapy. Avoid if your skin is sensitive.

Stretching: Include easy stretching exercises in your routine. It helps to expand the range of motion and mobility of your joints. You can make it a habit to stretch your muscles and joints when you wake up. This simple habit can make your muscles go a long way and, of course, aid you with arthritis. As advised before, take care not to overdo it and keep it extremely light on your muscles not to strain them.

Massage: Massage of the afflicted joint can be calming and relaxing to the muscles. Remember that moderate pressure is the key to a successful massage. You should only schedule a massage with a licensed massage therapist if your doctor says it is safe for you. Also, inform your massage therapist that you have arthritis so that they can take extra precautions.

Medications: Arthritis medication such as pain relievers may be effective for short-term relief from discomfort. They are to be taken solely according to the regimen suggested by your doctor. Your physicians may also offer you certain anti-inflammatory drugs in case of significant inflammation around your joints.

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Conclusion

Coping with the pain can make life stressful for seniors, and restricted joint motion is another challenge. Since the disease is not treatable, elders seek strategies to cope with the agony. There are various methods one can try to deal with it, but there is no solution that fits all. It is more about experimenting under a doctor’s supervision to identify what suits one best.

FAQs

What are the five symptoms of arthritis?

Arthritis symptoms vary with their different types. Some common and most prominent signs of arthritis are pain and inflammation of the joints, and other symptoms that are generally found along are:

Redness
Joint stiffness
Motion restriction

What arthritis pain feels like?

Arthritis pain can be a dull ache or a burning sensation depending upon the type of arthritis. It occurs near the joints and is generally accompanied by some soreness.

How do doctors test for arthritis?

Doctors do numerous arthritis tests to determine the disease. A sample of joint fluid can be obtained and tested to establish the type of arthritis you have. A doctor may also consider doing an X-ray or ultrasound scan to evaluate how bad the condition is.

How do you stop arthritis from progressing?

There are several strategies to halt arthritis from worsening. The person suffering must maintain a healthy weight. Mild exercise every day contributes to strengthening muscles around joints and therefore avoiding arthritis from hurting your range of motion. Eat a healthy diet to provide your body with appropriate nutrition.

At what age does arthritis usually start?

People of all ages, including children, are susceptible. However, those over the age of 40 are most frequently affected.

Does arthritis shorten your lifespan?

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a type of arthritis, has been reported to reduce life expectancy. They discovered that persons with RA do not live as long as those who do not have it, and it has been found to reduce life expectancy by around ten years

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