How Do I Ease Arthritis Pain?

Find Relief for Your Joints

With over 100 different forms of the disease, more Americans have arthritis than any other chronic ailment. However, as there is no diagnosed cure for the condition, all forms of treatment only combat the overarching symptom: the pain you feel in your joints. And that arthritis pain is no joke – you want relief, because it can be downright crippling, preventing you from living a normal life because you literally can’t move.

When it comes to easing any arthritis pain you feel in your joints, there are two primary goals you should keep in mind:

1. Stay ahead of your pain; and
2. Reduce inflammation.

To help you accomplish those goals, we’ve assembled 13 different tips across three treatment categories. Please keep in mind that not every method will work for your specific type of arthritis, and more importantly, you should always speak with your physician before starting any treatment.

Non-Medical Treatments

While you can certainly seek out solutions to your arthritis pain from doctors and medication, you don’t always have to do so. These five tactics can bring much-needed relief to your joints, especially when combined with other options on this list.

1. Responsible Diet – The goal here is to consume foods that assist in reducing inflammation and stiffness. Options include eating fish for Omega-3 fatty acids and using spices like turmeric, ginger, and black currants.
2. Weight Loss – One of the easiest ways to reduce stress on your joints is to lose weight. The less you carry around on those joints, the better they will feel.
3. Good Posture – It’s pretty simple: standing or sitting up as straight as comfortably possible puts your joints in their natural position, which relieves stress.
4. Regular Movement – While not a call to be constantly on the move, as your body does need rest, regular movement throughout the day will keep your joints in motion. Sitting still for too long might be the worst thing for arthritic joints.
5. Exercise / Physical Therapy – The logical extension of Tip #4, you should find regular times for more strenuous movement, but nothing that puts actual stress on your joints. This means swimming, walking, and yoga, and not anything that involves running or jumping.

Medical Treatments

While you should already have spoken with a doctor to receive your official arthritis diagnosis, you must directly consult your physician to take this route so that your progress is monitored.

1. OTC Medications – This one is rather straightforward, including NSAIDs and acetaminophens in your preferred name brand. Some experts recommend using topical NSAIDs, as these target the pain directly without sending the medication into the rest of your body.
2. Prescription Medications – Most OTC medications have prescription versions that require permission from a doctor. Depending upon your doctor’s advice regarding the extent of your pain, you might also receive a prescription for an opioid.
3. Steroid Injections – An even stronger and more direct method of pain relief, your doctor can recommend a corticosteroid for your affected joint(s).
4. Hyaluronic Acid Injections – With this option, a doctor will inject a solution into your impacted joint(s) that will enhance and supplement the naturally fluid that makes your joints work effectively and smoothly.

Complementary Treatments

These techniques will best work in conjunction with one of the other options on this list, especially in terms of staying on top of your pain and relieving joint pressure

1. Temperature Therapy – Often referred to as “hot or cold therapy,” rotating through these options help with pain relief. High temperatures from warm baths and electric blankets ease joint stiffness, while ice packs directly on hurting joints can reduce swelling.
2. Cognitive Therapy – Speaking with a therapist to combat negative emotions, feelings, and behaviors has proven to help relieve joint pain.
3. Acupuncture – Copious amounts of research have been devoted to showcasing the pain relief benefits of acupuncture. In fact, it’s even been recommended by the World Health Organization.
4. Massage – Much like regular movement and exercise, massage directly upon the hurting joints can reduce pressure, tension, and pain.

Arthritis is painful, so it makes sense that you want to search for every possible sort of relief for that pain. With the participation of your doctor’s advice and oversight, we hope you can use any of these 14 different methods to find the freedom from arthritis pain you deserve.