5 Tips for Dealing with Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain
John Mancini
Do you suffer from rheumatoid arthritis and have had to quit
taking your prescription pain medication because of harmful side
effects? Are you looking for natural alternatives to help you
deal with the pain that you face doing everyday tasks? If the
answers to these questions are yes, then the following tips for
relieving rheumatoid arthritis are just what you have been
waiting for.
1- The most important thing that anyone can do for their bodies
is to exercise. This includes those who suffer from rheumatoid
arthritis as well. However, not every exercise is suitable for
sufferers of arthritis pain. The exercises that are done need to
be good for the muscle, while not being damaging for the joints.
A great exercise for those who are living with rheumatoid
arthritis, in fact for everyone, is walking. Walking is a good
low impact activity that does not put unneeded pressure on the
joints. Other alternatives to walking are biking or walking in a
pool.
2- The topic of exercising as a way to relieve the pain of
arthritis leads into another tip. It is very important to
incorporate balancing exercises into your daily routine. For
example, water aerobics and Tai Chi are two types of balancing
exercises. The reason for these types of activities is that
balancing is a very effective way of strengthening without undue
pressure on the joints. However, if the joints do begin to hurt,
the activity should be stopped. If the pain continues more than
a couple of days, it would be wise to consult your physician.
3- If you are suffering from the pain of rheumatoid arthritis,
it is a good idea to concentrate on your overall body weight. If
this is an issue for you, speak with your doctor about ways that
are suitable for you to take it off. When you are dealing with
any type of arthritis pain, the extra weight makes it worse.
Consider this; there is about 30 pound of force placed on the
knees for each ten pounds of weight that is being carried.
Therefore, the ability to lose ten pounds will effectively
result in 30 pounds of force being lifted from the knee.
4- Some rheumatoid arthritis sufferers find that applying hot or
cold compresses can help to alleviate some of the pain that is
associated with their condition. When using this method of pain
relief, there is a simple rule to remember, ice reduces pain
while the heat will loosen the joints and boost blood flow.
5- This next tip, while not an actual treatment option, is very
important to your emotional well-being. Educate yourself
regarding your condition, this will improve your attitude as
well as eliminate the element of surprise. Many people are
afraid to ask questions when they are faced with a debilitating
illness, they just wait for the bad stuff to start happening and
many end up depressed. Don’t be one of those people, ask your
doctor, ask friends, do research, learn as much as you can about
rheumatoid arthritis so that you can better deal with it.
About the author:
John Mancini has been writing about Rheumatoid Arthritis online
and offline for a long time. Visit http://stop-arthritis.net or
http://arthritis-cures.net to read more about matters like
arthritis drugs and arthritis pain relief.