Tag: Joints

How to Seek Arthritis Relief When Shopping

Do you suffer from arthritis? If so, just functioning from day-to-day may seem difficult. Walking to your car, let alone climbing inside and driving, may seem out of the question. Not only is it too hard, but it may be very painful. So, what should you do? It may be easier to sit on the couch at home, but dont let arthritis control you or your life. We all need to shop, especially for groceries. So, what can you do to ease the pain and discomfort?

Create a grocery list by aisle. Those with arthritis of the toes, knees, and hips, find it difficult and painful to walk. To prevent wasted steps, create a grocery list based on aisles. This prevents you from retracing your steps and walking more. Some grocery stores have guides available for shoppers. Or, the next time you are there, record the aisle numbers and sample of items in the aisle. Use as your guide.

Always use a shopping cart. Regardless of which joints are affected by arthritis, opt for a shopping cart. Baskets are convenient for when you only need to buy a few items, but they can be difficult and painful to grip. If you suffer from arthritis of the toes, knees, and hips, a shopping cart provides you with walking support. Also, dont be afraid to use the motorized shopping carts. Many stores have them available free of charge.

Use a reacher or ask for help. You will experience the most problems at the grocery store. Items are scattered on shelves both high and low. If you find it difficult to bend or reach, ask for help or purchase an extended reacher. They are available for sale at most drug stores and medical stores. These reachers can also help those with difficulty gripping items. If you need help, ask a store associated or a passerby.

Take a break when you need to. It is no secret that both grocery stores and supermarkets are large. Walking from the car to the store may seem like a long journey, but just wait into you get inside. It is not a race to finish quickly; take a break whenever you start to experience pain or difficulty moving. In the grocery store, visit the caf or move your cart to the side of an aisle and lean on it for support. Shopping malls have benches scattered throughout; take a seat and rest.

Opt for paper or reusable bags at the grocery store. Those suffering from arthritis of the fingers, experience pain when gripping and carrying plastic shopping bags. Many dread trips to the grocery store. Instead, opt for paper or reusable bags. Most reusable bags have long handlings; you can sling them over your shoulder. To carry paper bags, use both arms, not just your fingers and hands. Also, do not be afraid to ask a store associate to load your bags into the car or ask a neighbor for help.

As a last resort, hire someone to shop for you. In fact, you may not even need to pay. See if a close friend or family member will pickup a few items for you at the grocery store. Many stores now enable you to shop right from your home. With these stores, you browse or search through their product list, add items to your virtual shopping card, make payment, and wait. A store employee will deliver your goods to your home! You may be charged a small delivery fee, but it may be well worth the added cost.

Although it may be easier to use a grocery store delivery service or have someone else stop for you, try. By implementing a few of the above mentioned steps, shopping for gifts, groceries, and clothes does not have to be difficult. Just remember to take it slow, rely on available tools, and dont be afraid to ask for help.

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How to Prevent and Manage Arthritis Pain

If you suffer from arthritis, pain becomes a part of your life. Even those who have dealt with arthritis for years, still suffer. With arthritis, the pain is more than physical. It is emotional too. Help must be sought.

If you suffer from arthritis, you want pain relief. In fact, you may want it now. Yes, it is important to seek pain relief, but first look at the cause. When seeking relief, you want more than temporary relief. The best approach is to stop pain before it starts. How? Luckily, you have many options.

Exercise. Exercise is vital to create a strong and healthy body. Not only that, it can relieve and prevent the pain associated with arthritis. Those suffering from severe pain, often left their symptoms go untreated. Their joints are so stiff that it literally hurts to move. If you have reached this point, it will take time. If not, start the process now. Exercise results in joint movement, lessening the stiffness and the pain overtime. It also builds muscle strength. This strength provides the joints with protection, lessening the pressure and pain.

Wise use of joints. Those who suffer from severe forms of arthritis suffer every minute of the day. They wake up and feel pain. In fact, a full nights sleep may be near impossible. Prevent joint pain by wisely using your joints and muscles. Do you suffer from arthritis in your elbows or hips? If so, lessen the strenuous activity that requires these joints. Instead of lifting heavy boxes with your arms, lift with the entire body. Instead of turning only the upper part of the body at the hips, reposition the entire body to get a good look.

Sleep. As previously stated, sleep can be difficult for those suffering from severe pain. A good nights sleep is vital to preventing pain. The energy the body receives from sleep can ward off pain or lessen its severity. If your nights are restless, sleep whenever possible. This may involve afternoon naps, but the payoff is worth it. A well-rested and well-energized body is able to ward off pain and manage it better.

Do not load up on pain medication. Unfortunately, those who suffer from pain, whether it be arthritis or not, rely on pain relievers. Some reach the point where they take medication before pain even sets it. It will arrive eventually, so why wait. Do not take this approach, unless advised by a medical professional. The body grows dependant on the medication we ingest. It is easy to become addicted to over-the-counter pain medication. To prevent pain, exercise, eat healthy, and get a good night sleep. Wait until the pain arrives before turning to over-the-counter medication.

Speaking of when the pain arrives, you now know how to prevent arthritis pain, but what if you still feel it? The above mentioned steps prevent some from experiencing severe pain, but there are no guarantees. Our bodies are all different. If your attempts prove unsuccessful, the next step is management. You need to learn to manage your pain. Pain management will allow you to function from day-to-day.

Reduce stress and relax. There is no doubt that arthritis sufferers deal with pain. This is a proven fact. However, our bodies play a huge role in the impact it has on our lives. A positive outlook on life will help. The less you focus on your pain, the less you will feel. Relaxation is key too. Does a warm bath relax your body and sooth your joint pain? If so, fill up the bathtub, add scented bubbles, and turn on your favorite music.

Get a massage. Most patients are surprised to hear their physicians recommend massages. Most assume they will be loaded with pain relievers and sent homes. Yes, over-the-counter relievers do assist with pain, but so does a good old massage. It relaxes the body and mind. Massages also warm the body and promote movement. In some cases, regular massages can help to prevent pain.

As you can see, there are many ways to avoid and manage the pain associated with arthritis. In fact, these are just a few of your options. No matter what type of arthritis you suffer from or how severe the symptoms, know you are not alone and that relief is available.

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MASSASGE THERAPY VS. CHIROPRACTICTIC THERAPY

If you are anything like me, you probably prefer staying away from providers of conventional Western medicine as much as possible and I cannot say that I blame you. Although I have full medical coverage for that you never know when you might need it time of my life, I have not seen any of my Blue Cross doctors in well over ten years, and I hope to continue not seeing them for the rest of my life. Please do not miss understand me and think that I am some sort of superhuman creature who never gets ill. I do have my weak moments of pain and sniffles just like everyone else, or at least everyone else who takes good care of him or herself. So, when my body seems to need a boost, I visit one of my two favorite practitioners of alternative medicine; my massage therapist or my chiropractor.

I know that it all sounds very simple and straight forward but it is, in fact, somewhat challenging at times, because I do not always know which one of these wonderful professional to seek out. So, I often first opt to visit my chiropractor for a good therapeutic session of adjusting and aligning my skeletal structure and then, as an extra bonus to me and my one and only body, I also make an appointment with my massage therapist for some hefty digging and rubbing. Between the two of them, I come out feeling like a million bucks although my finances are sadly depleted. I figure that we, my body and I, are worth it.

Now, you might ask and rightfully so, What is the difference between a massage therapy and chiropractic therapy? Well, I will be happy to tell you:

* Chiropractic Therapy.
– For the most part, chiropractic therapy focuses on the hard tissues such as the spine and other joints for adjusting and realignment. Chiropractors have some training in massage techniques but that is never their first and foremost priority.
– Chiropractors are authorized to make medical diagnosis, order x-rays or blood works.
– Chiropractors cannot prescribe conventional medications but they can sell supplements or homeopathic remedies.
– Chiropractors do not need medical referrals to perform their work.

* Massage Therapy.
– Massage therapists perform wonderful work on the soft body tissues such as the muscles, tendons and ligaments but they have not been trained nor are they licensed to adjust the spine or any other joints.
– Massage therapists may not legally make medical diagnosis, order x-rays or any blood work.
– Massage therapists are not permitted to dispense medications of Western medicine but they can and do provide or recommend alternative herbal remedies.
– Massage Therapists do not required referrals from anyone to conduct their massage sessions.

A highly acclaimed national non-profit magazine recently conducted a study in which more than 34,000 participants in the United States were asked to rate which alternative treatments worked best for their two biggest health problems for the past two years and the overwhelming majority voted just as I would have; for deep tissue massage therapy and chiropractic therapy in equal measures for such conditions as back pain, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, respiratory problems, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, depression, insomnia and prostate problems.

Of course, as far as alternative medicine is concerned, one should not discount acupuncture and reflexology for they too are beneficial in their own very special ways.

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THE SPORTS MASSAGE

Describing it in a nutshell, the Sports Massage is a specialty massage technique that was created and developed with athletes in mind. And as such, the Sports Massage prepares the bodies of professional and amateur sportspersons for their best possible performance before participating in a sport and it then helps their bodies to recover afterwards. However, just because the Sports Massage was designed for those participating in sports, you do not have to be an athlete to reap the benefits from it. After all, athletes are not the only people who get injured and they by no means hold the monopoly on pain.

The Sports Massage is, in effect, one of several forms of the Swedish massage and it promotes an increased circulation of blood and lymph fluids in the body. To break down or dissolve adhesions, which are painful clumps or knots within the muscles, and to widen the range of motion of stiffened joints, trigger point therapy is incorporated as part of the Sports Massage session. There are four different types of Sports Massage therapies and their distinction is made primarily by its time of performance in relations to the athletes sport activity. In other words, it is mainly their timing which makes them different from one another. The four types of Sports Massages are designated as follows:

* Pre-Event Sports Massage. The Pre-Event Sport Massage is a vigorous but shortened massage treatment that lasts anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes and is performed right before the sports event. Its main focus is on those specific parts of the athletes body which will be most intensively involved in the action.

* Post-Event Sports Massage. The Post-Event Sport Massage is performed within an hour or two of the event and its aim is to return bodies to their normal state by helping them recover from the hard work in the shortest time possible.

* Restorative Sports Massage. The Restorative Sports Massage is applied while the athlete is in training and it helps him or her practice harder while, at the same time, decreasing the chances of incurring injuries.

* Rehabilitative Sports Massage. The Rehabilitative Sports Massage is there to pick up the proverbial pieces by treating the injuries which resulted from the exertion of the sport. The foremost objective of Rehabilitative Sports Massage is to relieve pain and to return the body to its former, pre-injury state.

So, whether you are a professional or an amateur athlete or simply a citizen of the world who happens to have a precise problem such as a sore knee from your morning jog around the block or a frozen should because you slept on the wrong side of the bed or a stiff back because you forgot to use your legs when lifting the grocery back and so on, do yourself a favor and see a Sports Massage therapist. And the best way to find one is by getting referrals from reliable sources or by doing some research. The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) and the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) suggests that you ask the following questions when interviewing a potential Sports Massage therapist or any other type of massage therapist, for that matter:

* Did you graduate from a program accredited by the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA)?
* Are you licensed or registered as a massage therapist in this state?
* Are you certified by the national Certification Board of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB)?
* Do you have training in any specific massage modalities?

Beyond all that, you should just relax and enjoy the process while your body is being directed onto the path of healing.

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