Alternative Therapies to Fight Arthritis Arthritis is a painful condition which can affect the individual’s quality of life. Arthritic conditions can be treated in a non-invasive manner through alternative therapies. Arthritis is something which many middle-aged and elderly individuals suffer from all over the world. Americans particularly suffer from arthritic conditions making it one of the country’s major health issues. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) states that one in 5 American adults suffers from doctordiagnosed arthritis. By 2030 it is expected that the percentage of Americans affected by arthritis would rise to 67%.
Decoding Arthritis Arthritis is a musculoskeletal disorder characterized by inflammation of the joints and pain. The pain could be severe enough to disrupt regular movement or functions of the individual. Arthritis is merely a common name for more than 100 such conditions that include rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, psoriatic arthritis and gout. Osteoarthritis is most commonly referred to as arthritis and mostly affects elderly individuals. Rheumatoid arthritis is a more severe and chronic condition which may even cause the
joints to become twisted. This particular arthritic condition could even affect other organs in the body.
Alternative Treatment for Relieving Pain Arthritis treatment focuses on relieving the pain and discomfort so that the individual could live a normal life. Alternative treatments for arthritis and physical therapy have found to be particularly effective in dealing with this painful condition. A multi-specialty healthcare centers offer customized treatment programs to meet the specific needs of each patient.
Medication through Administration of Natural Substances Healthy cartilage is made up of natural substances such as glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate. These are available as dietary supplements that are safe and do not have many side effects. They are anti-inflammatory by nature and can prevent or reduce joint cartilage degeneration. Degeneration is the major cause of osteoarthritis pain. Hyaluronic acid is another natural substance. It is present in your knee’s fluid and is a major factor protecting your joint. Hyaluronic acid gets thinner in arthritis patients, so injections of hyaluronic acid could strengthen the affected knee. These are joint lubrication injections administered through ultrasound guidance into the space of the knee joint. The fluid is inserted into the area that has experienced the most cartilage damage.
Analgesics and Electrotherapy Analgesics can also be used to relieve topical pain in cases where only a few joints are affected. They are available as gels, salves or creams. Capsaicin creams have particularly been known to aid in rheumatoid arthritic and osteoarthritis pain. Electrotherapy is particularly useful for arthritic pain management in instances of neck pain, back pain and other such arthritic pains. TENS, GS and IFC are some of the electrotherapy mechanisms used. This is a non-invasive procedure for pain-relief, which produces good results.
Anti-inflammatory Diet Apart from medication, an anti-inflammatory diet could also help. Diets containing foods which are low on glycemic index can help reduce the long term risks of arthritis of any kind. One of the factors causing degeneration of cartilage is excess weight of the body. More weight means more stress on the bones and joints. Weight loss though diet, moderate exercise, and lifestyle changes can help relieve pain by reducing the stress on the joints. Treatment at a multi-specialty healthcare center offering arthritic pain management is the best option. Posted by HealthQuest http://www.hqbk.com/