Everyday millions of people with arthritis experience stiffness of joints and swollen knees, ankles, hands, back or hips. Most of the time, the aged population are searching for means to deal with the pain brought by arthritis that affects their mobility in performing routine tasks. A complete understanding of treatment options for arthritis has many benefits since people can be liberated from the pain that affect them daily. Despite the many treatment options, consulting a health professional should be on top of your list in treating arthritis. In the first place, there are many types of arthritis so correct diagnosis must be made before any treatment is applied.
The initial step given by doctors to patients with arthritis is intake of medications that can reduce pain and inflammation. The pain in arthritis is caused by inflammation so once the swelling around the joints is controlled pain is also reduced. Most often, medications for arthritis have combined anti-inflammatory and pain-killing properties. Some popular over the counter drugs like acetaminophen,ibuprofen, aspirin, glucosamine chondroitin,naproxen and creams help reduce pain.
Lately, there have been studies made on the efficiency of capsaicin in reducing arthritis pain by incorporating it into topical creams. For serious cases of arthritis where pain is almost unbearable, steroids and other drugs like COX-2 inhibitors plus non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are given.
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Next to medications, physical therapy is recommended since flexibility and mobility can be enhanced by this method. Physical movement maybe challenging to people with rheumatoid arthritis due to stiffness of joints and this is where physical therapy can help. Enhanced mobility through certain stretching exercises can be safely administered by physical therapists. Normal activities such as walking, climbing and even jogging can be performed again gradually.
In most cases, a more complete treatment for arthritis consider the use of assistive devices such as crutches or braces for added mobility on a short-term use on top of prescribed medicines. In short, several treatment options for arthritis abound the market place but it’ always safe to see a doctor first.
