Controlling Your Arthritis

The complications of arthritis occur at a very slow rate and are more easily prevented than corrected. Only exceptionally does a patient with arthritis needs to be seen by a doctor immediately. 

Finding out how to control your arthritis is important if you want to live a normal, pain-free life. Fortunately, there are more options available to arthritis sufferers than ever before. 

Controlling your arthritis can sometimes seem like an impossible goal. Symptoms can change regularly, and you may feel you're on an emotional roller coaster. 

And because medical science has not found any full cure for the different forms of arthritis, many people turn to alternative treatments to ease their pain.  Meditation, yoga, guided imagery, self-hypnosis and relaxation techniques can have positive results in controlling chronic arthritis pain.

What kinds of therapies are recommended for arthritis patients? Exercise physiology is highly recommended for treatment of almost all kinds of arthritis. The benefits of physical activity are almost countless. Exercise plays an important role in helping reduce the symptoms of arthritis, including pain and stiffness. It is almost important to keep the body's muscles and joints flexible and mobile. Another very important goal of exercise physiology is to help the patient achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Weight control is particularly important for arthritis patients.

What type of activities might be part of exercise physiology? Warm water exercises (hydrotherapy), yoga, tai chi, walking, stretching exercises and strength training are all good examples of activities that might comprise your exercise physiology treatment. Other therapies that may also be used in conjunction with exercise physiology include acupuncture and chiropractics. Acupuncture is thought to release pain-causing chemicals from the body. Chiropractics can be useful in helping relieve joint and muscle stiffness and reduce overall tension.

Heat is one of the most effective steps for temporary relief of aches and pains of arthritis and rheumatism.  It also aids muscles to relax, making exercises more effective.  You must be cautious when applying any form of heat to an acutely inflamed joint, since this may increase the pain.  In some patients, heat may aggravate symptoms or appear to be of little help.  In such situations, the doctor or physical therapist may advise and demonstrate the use of cold.

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