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Tiếng ViệtArthritis impacts roughly 54 million Americans, according to the CDC. And while physical therapy and other hands-on treatments work to reduce pain in the joints caused by arthritis, there are many treatments that patients can do at home between appointments to help keep their pain at bay.
If you’re suffering from arthritis, try these three pain management techniques between physical therapy appointments to help reduce your symptoms.
- Get moving —Exercise is one of the best things you can do for your arthritis pain. Arthritis in weight-bearing areas like the back, hip and knee joints is often caused by a combination of too much body weight and weak core muscles. Over the years, this extra pressure on the body causes the cartilage in your joints to deteriorate, leaving your bones to rub against each other unprotected. This friction in the joints leads to inflammation and arthritis. Exercises such as walking to lose weight and stabilizing to build core strength will help reduce the pressure on your joints and subsequently the inflammation that is causing your pain.
- Spice things up — Certain spices have been shown to reduce inflammation in the body. Cooking with turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, garlic, cayenne pepper, black pepper and cloves can help improve your joint health (and add some delicious flavors to your diet). In a recent study conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), turmeric was proved to reduce inflammation in joints in lab rats.
- Breathe it out —According to the Arthritis Foundation, meditation is shown as an effective way to reduce the symptoms of arthritis in the joints. Specifically, mindfulness meditation helps reduce stress and inflammation in the body, which thereby reduces the pain of arthritis.
For more lasting relief, physical therapy has been shown to help reduce the inflammation and pain caused by arthritis. To find out if this treatment is right for you, contact our team at Back in Motion today to schedule an appointment.