5 Ways To Ease Arthritis Pain
December 3, 2015
Dr. Shekhar Agarwal, Executive Director, and Chief Surgeon at Delhi Institute of Trauma and Orthopaedics shares 5 ways to ease arthritis pain:
1. Dietary modification. This includes liberal portions of healthy food. Avoid saturated fats and trans fats in the diet, as these lead to weight gain; thus leading to more load on the joints. Food beneficial in reducing pain includes Omega 3 fatty acids, which are antioxidants and help in reducing inflammation and thus provide relief from pain.
2. Foods such as walnuts, soybeans, and seafood are recommended. Fresh tropical fruits, such as guava, oranges, lemon, and pepper are good sources of Vitamin C and are good for arthritis patients. Carrots and turnips contain beta carotene, which again is an effective antioxidant. Finally, milk and seafood, which contain vitamin D are essential for bone and joint health.
3. Exercises strengthen the tone and power of the muscles, which protects the neighboring joints and also increases the proprioception in the joints. Hence, exercises help in protecting the joints and preventing falls. The best types of exercises to strengthen the bones are weight-bearing exercises like brisk walking, running, cycling, etc. It helps in preserving bone density and avoids osteoporosis. Strength and balance exercises may help you avoid falls, decreasing your chance of breaking a bone. Consult trainers and other health professionals before starting a weight training routine.
4. Physiotherapy helps in gaining a range of the movement of stiff joints and helps build the strength of muscles around the joint. The physiotherapist will also guide you regarding good posture and suitable lifestyle modification. One or two physiotherapy sessions in a month are good enough to ease the arthritis pain, depending upon the seriousness of the disease condition.
5. Weight reduction is of paramount importance in arthritis patients because every pound of weight reduction means four pounds of pressure reduction on your knee joint. Thus, weight reduction means offloading of your knee joint. For a person with arthritis, losing weight means less inflammation and hence the pain of arthritis joints. However, moderation is the key when it comes to losing weight too.
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