Arthritis Joint Pain

Arthritis, one of the most common disorders that can affect anyone, is actually a complex disorder comprising several conditions, all of which sharing one common symptom: arthritis joint pain. There are over a hundred different types of arthritis joint pain but the most common are osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and gout.

For most patients suffering from arthritis joint pain, living with this kind of condition means a life-long task punctuated with nothing but agony. However, this does not have to be the case with you. While it is true that most forms of arthritis are irreversible (as it is impossible to grow back a cartilage), there are steps that you can take in order to minimize the pain that is usually associated with this debilitating disease.

Protect Your Joints

Although arthritis can strike anyone at any time of their life, most cases of arthritis occurs in people who are older. Aging appears to be a major contributive factor to arthritis joint pains – a fact that is understandable as everyone goes through a considerable amount of wear and tear in their joints as they grow older.

In order to prevent further damage and worse pain, be extra careful as you go about your daily routine. Below are some tips to help you protect your joints, recommended by the Mayo Clinic:

• Save your weaker joints and use the strongest joint instead. For instance, you can carry things with your palm open. That way, you can distribute the weight equally over your forearm. Also, instead of lifting things off the counter or workbench, you can just slide them along the surface.
• Save your little finger. Don’t put too much stress on your little finger by moving your hands in such a way as to push the other fingers towards your little finger. Instead, try brushing bread crumbs off the table with the palm facing you and the little finger resting on the table.
• Avoid stressing your thumb and fingers by making a tight fist or holding items for too long. You can do this by holding a book, mug, or other things in the palm of your hand, instead of holding them with your fingers. If you’ve been reading a book for some time, use a book holder instead of continually supporting the book with your fingers.
• Exercise those joints. Freedom of motion is one of the things that you may have to forsake if you suffer from arthritis joint pain. The longer you suffer, the shorter range of movement you will have at your disposal. You can avoid this by moving your joints through their full pain-free range of motion. Do this at least once a day and observe the results.
• Learn to understand arthritis joint pain. Of course, if you have arthritis, it is most likely that you will experience arthritis joint pain. However, try to distinguish between arthritis joint pain and pain that results from overusing a joint. When you are able to do this, you can determine what specific activity that caused you joint pain and avoid doing it in the future.