Pain Relieving Tips for Joint Pain Sufferers

There are certain conditions people can suffer from that make physical activity difficult.  One of those is joint pain.  Movement is restricted, but if you suffer from a type of joint pain don’t be discouraged.  Exercise doesn’t have to be cut out of your daily regimen.

There are several types of joint pain.  Arthritis seems to be the most common.  The joints get stiff and inflamed.  Every time you move your fingers, bend your knees, bend or straighten your arms, the pain can be excruciating.  Doing the things you love is tough enough without adding exercise to the equation.  But, exercise is not the enemy.

There are many treatments for joint pain.  Pain medicines allow for movement in the painful joint.  Exercise will also help increase the strength in these joints for a stronger body.  Here are some suggestions:

1.  Dancing – you don’t have to be spinning and hopping all over the dance floor.  Dancing classes like salsa, ballroom dancing, foxtrot and others are less demanding than some of the dances people are doing these days.  Dancing provides full range of motion of the arms and legs.  This is a combination of stretching and strengthening.  Your abdominal muscles get a good workout when you dance.  Keeping all of your joints in motion like that helps with pain management.

2.  Ride a bicycle – bicycling provides a relaxing way to exercise.  Your legs go through the full range of motion as you pedal.  Adjust your bike seat so that you aren’t leaning over too much and hurting your back and also so your legs get a full stretch.

3.  Weight training – this comes up often.  There are very few conditions that weight training won’t help.  Increasing muscle mass and strength is good for maintaining health.  Muscles attach to bones and aid movement.

4.  Aerobics – those who participate in impact sports can strengthen their bones.  This is good for women who are prone to osteoporosis.  Strong bones strengthen joints.  Play a game of basketball or take an aerobics class.  Work at your own pace and you will still see the benefit of your efforts.

5.  Walking – walking burns calories and stretches your body.  Some joint pain sufferers have weight issues and walking can get that weight off to lessen the pressure on the joints as you strengthen them.  Walk with comfortable shoes and on even terrain like the school track or on a treadmill.  Walking on rocky or uneven ground can do more harm than good because you can fall or twist an ankle.

Those who suffer from joint pain are suddenly limited in what they can do.  It hurts to move their various joints.  Exercise can help.  Moving your body will increase flexibility, strength and lose some of the weight bearing in your joints.

Ease Osteoarthritis Pain with Glucosamine and Chondrotin

While it is quite common, osteoarthritis is a painful and debilitating disorder.  Symptoms can range from an annoyance to the complete inability to use affected joints.  Currently the only “cure” for osteoarthritis is to completely remove the affected joints and replace them with artificial ones.  This in itself is painful and annoying and brings a whole new set of health problems into play.  The best way to deal with arthritis is to relieve the pain as long as you possibly can.  Instead of turning to prescription painkillers and anti-inflammatories.  Glucosamine and chondroitin are great natural alternatives for reducing the pain of osteoarthritis.  

So what exactly are glucosamine and chondroitin and why do they help with arthritis symptoms?  Osteoarthritis is caused by the breakdown of cartilage in the joints.  Everyone’s cartilage is constantly breaking down and being rebuilt; however, in a person with arthritis, the breakdown occurs faster and the build-up occurs slower.  The body just can’t keep up.  This causes progressive joint damage.  The theory behind using glucosamine and chondroitin is to speed up the rebuilding process in the joint by providing an ample supply of the materials used to build cartilage.  

Glucosamine is a substance used to build and repair cartilage while chondroitin makes cartilage more resilient to damage.  A combination of these substances in the joint can help to build cartilage better and keep it from deteriorating as quickly.  Strangely, while taking oral supplements is suggested for relieving symptoms, there is no evidence that it increases the amount of these substances found in any one joint.

Studies have been done to study whether these substances actually help relieve arthritis pain.  They showed that the relief level from these products was about equal to the relief obtained from using prescription anti-inflammatory drugs.  So why use these products instead of a prescription that will likely be covered by your insurance?  First of all, the prescription medications come with a lot more side effects than glucosamine and chondroitin.  Another more serious problem with prescription anti-inflammatory drugs is that they have actually been shown to increase the rate of damage to affected joints.  Because glucosamine and chondroitin are the materials used to build joints, they not only don’t cause further damage to the joint, they may actually slow the progression of arthritis.

Glucosamine and Chondrointin are a great, natural way to deal with minor arthritis pain, but don’t rule them out if your problems are more severe.  Many doctors will suggest using supplements along with traditional treatment to increase the amount of pain relief and because it may slow joint deterioration.  You should consult with your doctor for advice on your best course of treatment before trying either of these supplements.