Osteoarthritis Treatment
If you're experiencing joint pain and are looking for an osteoarthritis treatment, you're probably a woman over the age of 45.
How did I guess that? Well, women over the age of 45 are a high risk category for developing osteoarthritis and osteoporosis.
If you are experiencing menopause joint pain and are on the lookout for natural joint pain treatment, you're in the right place.
What Is Osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is not to be confused with osteoporosis.
While both of these conditions affect women over the age of 45, osteoporosis creates porous bones that fracture easily, while osteoarthritis causes inflammation and degeneration in your joints.
In fact, sometimes osteoarthritis is even called the "degenerative joint disease" or "wear-and-tear" arthritis.
Cartilage is a "cushiony" substance between the bones and the joints.
When you have osteoarthritis, the cartilage in your joints has been irritated by years of use, and it breaks down.
Typical joints that develop osteoarthritis are hip, neck, lower back, thumbs, fingers, knees. But, you can have osteoarthritis in any of your joints.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for this condition, but you can use an osteoarthritis treatment to help your joints feel better and to help you complete your everyday tasks.
Why Us Women?
Up until the age of 45, osteoarthritis is more common in men than women. But, after that age, it affects more women than men.
Why? Well, it seems to have something to do with estrogen, but researchers are still unclear on this point.
Osteoarthritis Treatment: Lifestyle
Try changing some things about your lifestyle for your joint pain treatment.
- Rest Your Joints: Try resting your painful joints for 24 hours. And then, when you feel ready, start some gentle exercises.
- Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi: These exercises help to increase your range of motion, flexibility, and strength. They are gentle and they can help to reduce your stress level as well as helping your joints.
If you start them early enough, they can prevent you from needing joint replacements in the future.
But, if your joints begin to hurt during any movement, stop and take a break.
- Water Exercises: If working out hurts your joints, try starting water aerobics, which will help you to get a workout without the joint pain.
- The Core Program: This exercise program is outlined in a book. It includes 15 minute exercises to do everyday that will help your joint health. You can do these exercises at home with a mat and ankle weights.
- Hello, Sunshine: Get your 15 minutes of sunscreen-free sun exposure in order to get vitamin D - a vitamin that helps your body absorb calcium.
- Walk Softly: When you can, walk on grass instead of harder surfaces like concrete.
Put insoles in your shoes to give yourself a little extra support and cushion your joints.
- Stand Tall: Maintaining good posture will help - and you'll look more confident!
- Warm/Cold Packs: Use these on painful joints to help them feel a little better.
Osteoarthritis Treatment: Supplements
These supplements can bring you natural joint pain relief. Try them out!
- Omega-3s: Get these by eating ground flax seeds, walnuts, salmon, and soybeans, or by taking a supplement.
- Ginger: Ginger can help bring you natural joint pain relief.
- Glucosamine and Chondroitin: These are the building blocks of your cartilage. Taking this supplement means that your body has more on hand to help repair damaged cartilage.
- Stinging Nettle: Take this herb to reduce inflammation. It can also lower blood pressure, help allergies, and stop testosterone from thinning your hair. Use the root to treat hair loss and the leaf to help with joint pain.
- Vitamin D: This vitamin helps your body to absorb calcium and can prevent osteoporosis
- Eucommia Bark: This Chinese herb is used to strengthen bones and joints. It also helps to regulate your blood pressure.
Drastic Measures
Be sure to talk with your doctor about your joint pain. If your pain is severe, or if the above guidelines don't help, your doctor may suggest other osteoarthritis treatment options including acetaminophen, strong painkillers, cortisone shots, joint replacements, and surgery to realign your bones.
Be sure to seek the support that you need. Dealing with chronic pain is a difficult process and should be done with the support of others in similar situations. You may want to join a chronic pain support group where you will talk with other people going through similar situations.
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