Mayo Clinic; Kellerman RD, et al. In: Conn's Current Therapy Elsevier; Accessed March 2, Rakel D, ed. In: Integrative Medicine. Deveza, LA.
Overview of the management of osteoarthritis. American College of Rheumatology. Related Arthritis creams Degenerative changes in the spine: Is this arthritis?
As with other areas of osteoarthritis, weight loss is important. Treatment for all osteoarthritis pain starts with educating yourself about the disease. Lifestyle changes such as avoiding overuse of the joint, proper exercise, and weight loss are the first steps toward managing your pain. Your doctor may also start you on pain medications if you need them.
Studies show that the best method of controlling osteoarthritis pain is with a combination of medications and lifestyle changes. By subscribing you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Health Topics. Health Tools. Reviewed: September 11, Medically Reviewed. Glucosamine is found naturally in the body in structures such as ligaments, tendons and cartilage.
Supplements are usually produced from crab, lobster or prawn shells, although shellfish-free types are available. Most trials have used a dose of mg three times a day, and the evidence seems to suggest glucosamine sulphate may be more effective than glucosamine hydrochloride.
The research evidence is limited to animal studies that suggest it might help to slow the breakdown of cartilage. Fish oils and fish liver oils are widely believed to be good for the joints.
Supplements made from fish livers often contain a lot of vitamin A, which can be harmful in large amounts. Supplements made from the whole fish usually contain less vitamin A, so are safer if you find you need a high dose of fish oils to get any benefit from them. There are a number of different treatments available and they can generally be used alongside prescribed or over-the-counter medicines.
Private health insurance companies may also cover some types of therapy. However, most people pay for their own treatment, which can be costly. Some therapies make bold claims — if you have any doubts, ask what evidence there is to back up these claims. The Institute for Complementary and Natural Medicine can help you find a qualified therapist. Applying a hot-water bottle, wrapped in a towel to protect your skin, or a wheat-bag that you heat up in a microwave can help to ease pain.
An ice pack, again wrapped in a towel to protect your skin, often helps to reduce swelling and discomfort. Ice can be applied for up to 20 minutes every couple of hours. These can be particularly helpful if osteoarthritis has affected the alignment of a joint. Choosing comfortable, supportive shoes can make a difference not only to your feet, but also to other weight-bearing joints including the knees, hips and spinal joints. In general, the ideal shoe would have a thick but soft sole, soft uppers, and plenty of room at the toes and the ball of the foot.
When held in the opposite hand, it can also help to reduce pressure on a painful knee or hip. When your posture is good, your body will feel more relaxed. Think about your posture throughout the day. Check yourself while walking, at work, while driving, or while watching TV. If your pain varies from day to day, it can be tempting to take on too much on your good days, leading to more pain afterwards. Learn to pace yourself.
If there are jobs that often increase your pain, try to break them down, allow time for rest breaks, and alternate with jobs that you find easier. Or think about other ways of doing a job that would cause less pain. Depending on which joints are affected, there are lots of aids and adaptations to help you around the home, and some fairly simple changes can make a big difference.
You may be able to get help with the costs of obtaining aids or having adaptations to your home. Wherever you live, the first step is to ask your local authority for a needs assessment. Most people with arthritis can continue in their jobs, although you may need to make some changes to your working environment, especially if you have a physically demanding job.
Contact your local JobCentre Plus for information about Access to Work, a government initiative to help people overcome barriers to starting or keeping a job. The allowance covers any extra costs or expenses students have because of a disability. For more information, visit the Disability Rights UK website. Information is available on the National Rail website about station accessibility, train and station facilities, and assistance options.
Transport for London offers similar information on their website and has produced a guide to avoiding stairs on the London Tube network. Other local authorities and transport providers produce similar guides to accessible bus, train and minicab services, and some run their own transport schemes.
The emotional effects of arthritis can have just as much impact as the physical symptoms. Severe or long-term pain that affects your daily life and possibly disturbs your sleep can affect your mood. From time to time, your arthritis may get on top of you. You can also call our helpline on , who will listen and offer emotional support. The changes in cartilage that occur with osteoarthritis can encourage crystals to form within the joint.
These may be:. Research is helping us to understand more about the causes of osteoarthritis, and to develop new treatments. It was worse when I woke up in the morning. The pain when I walked upstairs was excruciating.
And with my hands it was terrible. I would struggle to do things like open doors, tie my laces or put the top on a bottle of water. My doctor did blood tests and I was then referred to the rheumatology department at the hospital.
The rheumatologist told me it was osteoarthritis. I joined the gym in the March of It was obvious then that there were only certain things that I could go on, but I did a Pilates class once a week and that was good for flexibility. You can then walk a bit further over the course of a few days or weeks. After three weeks with Shane, I could already walk upstairs without any pain. In affected hip joints, the range of motion is reduced and painful. Osteoarthritis of the spine is called spondylosis and is found mostly in the neck and the back.
The condition is commonly seen in x-rays and rarely causes problems such as pain and stiffness in the spine. Indeed, most back pain is not caused by osteoarthritis of the spine. Continue Learning about Affects of Osteoarthritis on the Body How does osteoarthritis affect the knees? Kevin J. Soden, MD. Because the cartilage at the ends of the bones are what wears down in osteoarthritis, the knee becom How can osteoarthritis disrupt my sleep? Donna Hill Howes, RN. Joint stiffness can make it hard to get comfortable in bed.
But the biggest problem is pain. Pain fr
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