How to Treat Your Painful Chronic Condition
Let us be frank – modern medicine cannot completely cure osteoarthritis at this time. If your doctor delivers such a diagnosis, you will have to contend with its effects for the rest of your life. Osteoarthritis affects more than 21 million Americans over the age of 25.
How you personally experience osteoarthritis can vary greatly, as it can depend upon your genetic history, present health, and your future activities. Thus, even though it cannot be cured, you do have several options for treatment, especially in terms of managing the pain and discomfort of this condition.
While we cannot cure osteoarthritis, we recommend trying these 4 tactics to help find relief from your pain.
1) Regular Exercise
Yes, osteoarthritis does cause pain in your joints – especially your knees, as they carry the weight of your body. But that pain shouldn’t cause you to stop all movement. In fact, establishing a methodical exercise routine is one of the best ways to stave off the aches you feel on a daily basis.
When we say “exercise,” this isn’t a call to start training for an Ironman Triathlon. We’re simply encouraging you to engage in regular movement that gets your joints moving. This includes:
- Stretching
- Yoga
- Swimming
- Walking
- Aerobics
Staying in motion is important because the last thing you want is for your joints to lock up and calcify from a lack of use. Additionally, the intensity of your activity isn’t important – it’s the consistency. With the advice and guidance of your physician, pick something you like to do and do it every day. Your body will thank you.
2) Better Diet
You should combine this tip with tip #1, as your knees will especially enjoy carrying around a bit less weight. This is not a call to purchase new appliances, meal prep kits, or vegan cookbooks – though you might want to try those things later. We suggest beginning with simple dietary shifts like:
- More fruits and vegetables
- Leaner proteins
- Fewer carbohydrates
- Decreasing your salt intake
- Stop eating past 8pm
Like the exercise, it’s always best to start with what’s manageable for your life right now, as it’s easier to create new habits with steady incremental changes than with sweeping reformations.
3) Pain Medication
We understand that osteoarthritis hurts. Your joints are rubbing together, with less of the cartilage that used to be there. Hence, you should take some medication to reduce the immediate effects of that pain, especially the swelling and inflammation caused by that bone-on-bone friction.
As with any medication, you should always seek recommendation and approval from your primary care physician first, as well as any specialist you might see for your osteoarthritis. That doctor might simply advise you to take an over-the-counter medication like acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or aspirin, or they could give you a prescription for something stronger. It depends upon the needs of your body.
4) Injection Therapy
One of the more recent developments in the search to cure osteoarthritis, you can have an injection of various products into your afflicted joint. These solutions can be anti-inflammatory in nature, aid in reducing swelling, reduce bone-on-bone friction, and can provide good, safe, and potentially long-term relief. Current options include:
- Corticosteroids
- Amniotic Regenerative Injections
- Platelet-Rich Plasma
- A2M-Alpha-2 Macroglobulin
- Bone Marrow Aspirate Stem Cell Therapy
- Viscosupplementation (Hyaluronic Acid Therapy)
For more information on the effects, benefits, and efficacy of such injections, call Arthritis Relief & Vascular Centers at 855-910-9195 today.
While osteoarthritis does not have a comprehensive cure at this time, you can find relief from your joint pain.