Many seniors coping with the pain and discomfort of Arthritis find the pain to be overwhelming. One way to reduce your pain is to build your life around wellness, not pain or sickness such as:
- Thinking positive thoughts
- Maintaining a sense of humor
- Eating a balanced diet
- Exercising regularly
- Surrounding yourself with positive people
Focusing on something else is another way to take your mind off the pain. Becoming active, taking on new hobbies and keeping your mind and body busy are important for coping with Arthritis pain. Visit your physician to get advice regarding safe and effective pain medications to assist you to live your life fully.
Regular exercise is important for maintaining healthy joints. Synovial fluid is released to the joint through movement thereby cushioning the joint throughout motion.
Strengthening the muscle structures around the joint will help to support joint health.
Exercises to perform daily should incorporate:
- Gentle range of motion movements taking the joint through normal range of motion to keep mobile and prevent stiffness or deformities.
- Stretching exercises will support joint health – making the joint more stable allowing you to move more easily with less pain.
Pain receptors in the body are stimulated through endorphins or neurotransmitters to assist the body in handling pain. Exercise will increase endorphins which help you feel better during and after you exercise.
Being overweight increases the risk for developing Osteo arthritis. Last session we discussed the importance of exercise to maintain healthy joints. Exercise and healthy diet will also lead to weight loss. Many joint replacements – hip and knee – are due to the combination of arthritis and extra weight which impacts the joints.
Reducing stress at the joints is very important and even a little weight loss will make a great difference in joint health. For every pound you lose, the joint registers 4 pounds of stress lost at the joints.