It’s hard to appreciate how significant the burden of arthritis is unless you’ve had to live with it. The pain can be excruciating, and it can feel as though it effects your life endlessly. Luckily, many people have learned ways to better manage arthritis. Here are some of the tips that they’ve shared.
If you want to minimize the pain of arthritis, avoid being over weight. Having just a few extra pounds on your body adds strain to joints and ligaments. It can increase the pain of arthritis, and keep your symptoms coming back again and again. Losing just ten pounds can make a big difference, so do it today.
Use the heel of your hand and press down on your leg. You can avoid using your painful fingers this way, so that it will be easier to trim your nails.
Exercising can help you manage your arthritis symptoms by helping you to lose weight. Weight loss can help your joints function more efficiently and help keep those symptoms under control. Talk with your doctor about setting up an exercise plan that you can do safely on a routine basis.
Cigarettes worsen arthritis and decrease flexibility, so avoid smoking at all costs. Giving up smoking for good may be very difficult, but when you see how much it exacerbates your arthritis symptoms, the trade-off may be worth it.
Make sure to educate yourself as much as possible about rheumatoid arthritis, and how it can affect pregnancy and breastfeeding. There’s a lot of different information out there, and being well educated can make all the difference in the world in how you handle your symptoms and flare ups.
Before you can get the proper treatment for arthritis, it is important that you know which type you suffer from! There are treatments, both natural and medical, that may help certain kinds of arthritis while doing nothing for other types. If you are uncertain to which kind you have, ask your doctor.
Try acupuncture. While many people believe this method does not really work, studies have shown that using it can actually release pain relieving endorphins. This can work wonders for arthritis sufferers by targeting painful inflammation and swelling points in the joint, and sending these relieving chemicals to the area to trigger immediate relief.
Take a nap. Leading a sedentary lifestyle is not a healthy move for anyone, but arthritis sufferers will often be hit by bouts of fatigue. In these cases, take a short nap to give your body the rest it needs, and you will find yourself more easily able to complete your everyday tasks.
Know your limits. Pushing yourself too hard can be detrimental to your health and safety. If you want to attempt something that may be a reach, try to have someone nearby in case you need assistance. You do not want to cause undue stress on your mind or your joints, so give yourself boundaries.
Those without arthritis may not understand what you’re going through, but plenty of others do. Be sure to take full advantage of the advice available. While nothing can completely eliminate your problems, you’ll be amazed at how much some of these tips can help. Use this shared knowledge to make your burden a little bit lighter.