How to Ease Arthritis Pain and Live a Healthy Life
Arthritis pain is not only debilitating but can also hinder movement when it advances to excess levels. A lot of studies have been conducted to find a permanent cure to this and other related pains but because of its complexity, not one ingredient can address it. As a matter of fact, most pain relief cream reviews have pointed to the effectiveness of creams because they bring together a collection of active ingredients such as MSM, arnica, DMSO, turmeric, menthol and boswellia among others. These are effective in reducing and fighting off the pain.
In order to sustain and supplement the action of anti-inflammatory creams, you need a lifestyle change that includes healthy dieting, exercises and other activities that enhance joint and overall body health. This article discusses how you can ease arthritis pain and live a normal healthy life.
Pain Relief Creams
This is the first go-to solution for pain and inflammation. Pain relief creams are formulated with powerful active ingredients that penetrate to the joint area so as to bring instant relief. These creams contain varying concentrations of tissue repair and sulfur supplementing ingredients that provide a quick and convenient way to sooth pain. The anti-inflammatory creams can either block sodium channels or counter the enzymes responsible for inflammation. In most set ups, pain relief creams are made available over the counter but in some instances, you can get them by prescription. Be sure to read all the arthritis cream reviews online to find the right product for you.
The reason why anti-inflammatory creams do not cause side effects such as stomach upsets or nausea is because they do not come into contact with the bloodstream and they bypass the gastrointestinal system. Counterirritants such as menthol are strategic ingredients that are effective in treating localized muscle and joint pain. They act on the nerves so as to mask the pain.
Regular Targeted Exercises
There is no psychology that informs you to ignore pain so as to make it go away. As a matter of fact, avoiding motion worsens the pain and sparks discomfort. Inactivity also limits your movement, weakens muscles, affects your posture, compounds joint trouble and sets off a cascade of further problems.
The right set of exercises can complement the effect of pain relief creams and give you a long lasting solution that will tame knee, ankle, shoulder or hip pain. Regular exercises and joint pain relief workouts help you to postpone and even avoid painful experiences in addition to strengthening key supportive muscles that restore flexibility. When done over time, exercises control weight gain which if unchecked can exert pressure on your joints causing inflammation and arthritis pain. Exercises such as swimming, cycling and walking at least done three times a week in sessions of about 30 minutes can benefit you immensely.
Stretching Programs
Stretching can either be a stand-alone procedure or a part of your exercise regime. Whatever the case, stretching is important in enhancing mobility of your arthritis joints. This will enable you to regain your ability to work, play and once again live an active lifestyle. By carefully following a planned set of stretching movements, you can improve your flexibility without causing a corresponding pain to your joints. Also, stretching is very important in increasing the blood flow which delivers the necessary nutrients required to repair and heal the inflamed tissues. If you experience stiffness of your joints, you can take a shower so as to warm them up and then stretch to help them loosen up.
Get Adequate Rest
In as much as most people consider rest as inappropriate especially in the active hours of the day, it is very important to get enough rest. There are no prescribed rest durations but depending on your personal endurance, you can customize your resting sessions. Living a sedentary life can worsen joint inflammation because of inactivity. It is therefore important that you intersperse rest periods with exercises.
Warm Baths and Massage
Experts have found that warm baths are effective in relieving arthritis pain. This is because the moist heat penetrates the tissues and loosens any stiffness in the joints caused by inflammation. In addition, you can use moist heating pads which are available in many pharmacies. Applying these heating pads for about 10 to 15 minutes at a time can give you the much needed temporal relief during muscle spasm. There are salts and mineral oils that can be added to bath water to enhance the pain relieving effects.
There are massage therapies such as Swedish massage, Shiatsu, Lymphatic massage and petrissage that help in loosening tight muscles through the application of light and deep pressure on the inflamed tissues. Shiatsu massage specifically identifies the specific spots that help in easing the pain elsewhere in the body.
Because of the unique benefits of each of these solutions to arthritis pain relief, it is important that you consider most if not all of them.
