Managing Osteoarthritis

"Going downstairs, right now, is a big problem. I go down sideways, one step at a time," said one osteoarthritis patient. At first, she thought her inflamed knee was just an inevitable part of aging, but even people in their 20s and 30s can have stiffness and pain in their joints. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis and can affect the shoulders, knees, elbows, feet/ankles, hands, hips or spine. The good news is that you can take an active role in your pain management to keep your disease from progressing and infringing on all the things you enjoy.

There are several types of medications that may be prescribed for pain management. Mild cases or early stage osteoarthritis is sometimes treated with over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen/Tylenol or NSAIDs/Ibuprofen. Prescription strength Celebrex is commonly recommended as well. There are oral medicines, creams or injectable steroids that can all be taken for pain relief. If you are at risk for severe bone and cartilage deterioration, then your doctor will probably recommend 3 to 5 weekly joint injections of Synvisc, Supartz, Euflexxa, Orthovisc or Hyalgan and surgery may even be required. Of course opioids are always in the pain relief family, although they can be habit-forming and should only be prescribed for the most extreme pain.

It can be disappointing to learn that your weight has caused osteoarthritis and that you now need to lose some weight to take the burden off your joints, even though you're suffering pain in your knees, hips, spine or shoulders. Despite how mentally difficult it may be to get started, your body will begin to feel a bit better as you exercise. Mentally, you will feel better about yourself and more in control. Little by little, you will find that you have increased mobility and more ease at doing day-to-day activities.

Low impact exercises, such as swimming, biking or walking, are recommended. For people with knee pain, strengthening exercises with light weights for the quadriceps are encouraged. Range-of-motion flexibility exercises that include stretching are very common in physical therapy sessions. Forget about aerobics or jogging, and avoid overdoing it.

If your joints hurt excessively more than 2 hours later, then you've pushed yourself too hard. Before and after exercising you can try heat/cold packs to reduce redness or pain. Braces, rest breaks, decreasing your speed or duration and reducing your weight can modify the level of intensity to give you the ideal workout.

The good news about osteoarthritis symptoms is that they can be delayed or limited with some basic lifestyle adjustments. Women with knee arthritis can benefit from a weight loss program and regular strengthening exercises. A diet full of vitamins C, E, D (400IU) and calcium (1200mg) will help to maintain strong bones. Hot baths and warm paraffin wax treatment (at a spa) has been associated with pain relief. You may try over-the-counter medication as well. If you're not sure how to get started on a new routine, then you can try an educational program offered by the Arthritis Foundation. Their pain management programs, which include exercise, nutrition, relaxation and more, have been proven to reduce pain by 20% and doctor visits by 40%.