Osteoarthritis

                                           

       Osteoarthritis is a form of arthritis that causes pain, swelling, and reduced motion in your joints. This can happen in any joint but it usually affects the hands, knees, hip or spine.

Osteoarthritis breaks down the cartilage (slippery tissue that covers the ends of bones in a joint) in your joints. Healthy cartilage absorbs the shock of movement, when cartilage is lost, bones rub together and this can parmanently damage the joint.

Risk factors for osteoarthritis include being overweight, aging or injuring a joint.

Let's look at ways to manage osteoarthritis ;

Choose wise medications 

        There are wide variety of medications used to manage osteoarthritis pain, options ranges from pills and syrup to lotion and injectables.

Always consult a doctor before using any medication. You should choose medications based on the severity of your pain and also considering how it affects your daily life.

Mild to moderate pain can be managed with pills and syrup while severe pain may only be manageable with injectable medicine. Your ability to choose wise drugs decides how well you can manage osteoarthritis.

Watch your weight 

       Losing weight plays an important role in managing osteoarthritis pain, much weight adds stress to the joints and other affected areas.

Maintaining a healthy diet is important to your overall health, but is a pertinent factor that determines your weight.

Substitute junk food with healthy alternatives as this will help improve your diet and make it easier to keep weight off.

Stay active 

        Staying active, as it sounds is very crucial to managing osteoarthritis. To help ease the burden on the joints as well as reduce the pain, you should strenghten your muscles.

You can stay active through frequent exercise, maybe go for a walk around the block or do some home work.

You have to keep in mind that it's important to stay active but without overdoing it.

You can deploy assistive devices

       Assistive devices may be good option to turn to if your movement and activities have been limited by osteoarthritis.

Such devices increase mobility and function but not necessary for everyone who has osteoarthritis. Devices include everything from scooters to walkers and splints and can be found at most pharmacies.

These assistives devices are good but there is still need to consult your doctor before using them as such devices can cause a lot more harm than good if not worn or used properly.

Join a support group 

        You can consider joining a support group as it is one of the easiest ways to start taking control of your osteoarthritis.

There are many ways you can benefit from a support group, you can get more information about osteoarthritis.

You can also meet people in similar situation, and such people can encourage you to get moving and stay active. You can also gain greater self confidence and you'll be less likely to feel depressed.

With the help of the afore mentioned ways, you can suffer osteoarthritis and still your live your life like you never had it.