Important Things To Try Include
- Movement therapies – Yoga and tai chi involve gentle stretches and exercises combined with deep breathing. Mostly people use these therapies to reduce their stress, and research suggests that yoga and tai chi might also reduce osteoarthritis pain and improve functioning.
Make sure to choose a gentle form of yoga and that your therapist knows which of your joints are affected. Try to avoid moves that cause discomfort and pain in your joints.
- Cold and heat – Both cold and heat can reduce pain and swelling in your joints. Heat, particularly moist heat, can help ease pain and muscles relax. Cold can reduce muscle aches after exercise and reduces muscle spasms.
- Capsaicin – Topical capsaicin is a chili pepper extract which is applied to your skin over an affected joint to ease discomfort. You might have to apply it two to three times per day for several weeks to get maximum benefit. Some patients can’t tolerate the irritation caused by it. Wash your hands properly after applying capsaicin cream.
- Shoe inserts or braces – Shoe inserts, braces or other devices might aid in reducing pain when you stand or walk. Generally,these devices support your joint to help reduce pressure off it.
- Assistive devices – Assistive devices can relieve stress on your joints. A cane reduces weight off your hip or knee as you walk. Hold the cane in your hand which is opposite to the leg that hurts.Grabbing and gripping tools may make it much easier to work in the kitchen if you are suffering from osteoarthritis of fingers. Check medical supply stores or catalog or ask your occupational therapist or doctor about these assistive devices.
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) – A device which uses a low-voltage electrical current to reduce pain. It provides short-term pain relief for some patients with hip and knee osteoarthritis.