The first thing when you have pain and stiffness in the joints is to see a doctor who will guide you as to what to do and what to take. Pain medication is a part of osteoarthritis and unless you manage the pain, it’s going to be very difficult for you to get on with your life. And this should be your first priority – seeing a doctor and following what he asks you to do. Just make sure to tell your doctor about all the vitamins, supplements and any natural treatment or remedies that you might be taking so he can prescribe accordingly. It would help to write out your symptoms – exactly where it hurts, when it hurts, what aggravates the pain and what you feel. This makes it easier for the doctor to tell how far it has gone and to recommend you for the necessary tests.
You can help yourself too and here are a few things that you can do to feel better. Many people with osteoarthritis can sink and wallow in self-pity and this can be very depressing not only for them but everyone around them. For some, heat treatment helps, for others cold. Try taking a warm shower and use a hot water bottle and if it feels better, keep doing that whenever you can. If the pain is better with cold, try an ice pack on the swelling and use when you need to if it feels better. This may just be a temporary respite but any relief from pain should be welcome. For some people, resting the joint that hurts feels better, for others, stretching it gently brings relief. You need to find your own comfort zone and you can only do it by trying, not by giving in to the pain and suffering. The pain medication helps but sometimes, you will feel pain, especially when the effects of the medication are wearing off.
Never rest a joint too long because it is bound to get stiff. Rest it by all means if you are in pain but after the pain has subsided, move it around, gently. Gentle exercise helps a lot in osteoarthritis and the stiffness becomes less. Walking and swimming help a lot – there’s no need to do anything fast – do it slowly but do it regularly.
Try and find a group near you that gets together and provides you with company and support. It’s so helpful to know that there are so many who are suffering and to learn from them how to cope. Together, you can get the maximum out of the life you have and you don’t need to give up doing everything because of pain.
Try alternative methods of treatment – acupuncture has helped many and massage gives relief from pain. However, don’t do anything without informing your doctor and make sure you go to reputed experts. Never mind what you try or what helps you, make sure you take your medication at the right times and tell your doctor how you feel at each visit. He might want to change some of the medication if you feel worse or you still are in a lot of pain.
For many osteoarthritis sufferers, weight is a big problem. As rigorous exercise isn’t possible, they should follow a strict diet in order to lose weight. This does not mean any new fad diet that is not nutritious. You need to include more vegetables and fruits in your diet and make sure that you take all the vitamins and supplements you need.
One of the best ways to cope is to have a hobby. Find something that you like to do and do it well. Immersing yourself in something of interest shifts the focus from the pain to what you like and that is a good thing. The hobby should keep you interested and positive, otherwise with nothing to do, you might find yourself wallowing in self pity.
If the pain is too much to bear, you might want to talk to your doctor so he can either increase the dosage or prescribe something stronger and more effective like corticosteroid injections. For relief, doctors could also ask you to take visco-lubricant injections to increase the cartilage and to lubricate the joints. In extreme cases, you could be asked to go in for surgery. The main thing is to be prepared to try anything that will reduce the pain and help you live a better life rather than be bound by the pain that comes with it. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease and you need to halt its progress any which way you can. Your will power and your motivation go a long way in helping you cope with osteoarthritis and you need to know that you can be on top of the situation if only you fight it.