What Is The Best Treatment For Osteoarthritis?
There is no cure for osteoarthritis, but there is a combination of procedures that will help in relieving your pain and keep you active. All the osteoarthritis conditions do not get any worse over time if you start treating it at an earlier stage. Below, I have listed few types of therapy or treatments that are known best for osteoarthritis.
Lifestyle Measures And Therapy
Our lifestyle plays a significant role in keeping our body fit, and to treat osteoarthritis, you need to have a healthy lifestyle that eventually starts with doing regular exercise. Your physical therapist can help you exercise that is best to reduce pain and strengthen the muscle around your joint and increase your bone flexibility. Exercise is known as one of the most important treatments for people suffering from osteoarthritis. Therefore, some recommended exercises will put less stress on your joints and help your body be active. Such as:
Stretching- this exercise tends to increase the flexibility and range of motion of your joints. Consult your doctor, and he will prescribe you some specific exercises according to your pain.
Regular aerobics- aerobics is known to strengthen your heart and lungs, increase body stamina, and cut down on fatigue. Typical aerobics exercises include walking, swimming, running, and riding a bicycle. You can also try water aerobics. But if you experience new joint pain, stop right there.
Another lifestyle therapy to treat osteoarthritis is to lose weight. Carrying extra weight applies extra pressure on joints, and therefore you need to lose weight to relieve some stress and reduce your pain.
Supportive or Occupational Therapy
Although, it is necessary to have a better lifestyle to overcome the osteoarthritis problem. But, with aging, your body would show some osteoarthritis symptoms, so supportive therapies come into major help. These therapies are known for helping you to do the daily tasks in a more convenient way in which you don't have to put extra stress on your painful joint areas. Also, there are specific methods that would relieve your pain for a short amount of time.
Assistive devices- if you have osteoarthritis in your hip area or knee joint, it would be difficult for you to stand up from a sitting position. So your physiotherapist would suggest you for using a walking aid, such as a stick or cane. Similarly, if you suffer osteoarthritis in your lower limbs, such as hips, knees, or feet, your therapist would recommend you for special footwear or knee braces. Knee braces are built to help you manage your pain. There are several types of knee braces, and by determining the location and severity of your pain, you can choose which type of knee brace would work best for you.
Hot or cold packs- One instant solution to relieve your pain is to apply hot or cold packs. A silicone water bag filled with either hot or cold water can be used on the affected joint area and is very effective in relieving pains.
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)- this device uses a flow of low voltage electrical current through sticky patches attached to the skin to relieve pain. This helps to ease the pain for some people with hip and knee osteoarthritis.
If you want to know about best treatment for osteoarthritis, you need to understand this conditions do not get any worse over time if you start treating it at an earlier stage.
