How to get on top of arthritis
Don’t suffer constant pain in silence. Liz Connor talks to an expert about your options
MOST people will experience joint pain at some point in life and musculoskeletal wear and tear is one of the most common health niggles.
Arthritis and other joint conditions affect millions of people in the UK and Ireland, causing aches, pain and sometimes swelling and stiffness, which for some people can have a severe impact on day-to-day life.
The two most common types are osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
It’s important to seek individual advice from your doctor or physio, especially if you have an acute injury, flare-up or severe ongoing symptoms. But you can also make lifestyle changes which often help.
While there are many possible causes, Phil Day, superintendent pharmacist at Pharmacy2U.co.uk, explained joint pain is usually a result of injury or arthritis.
In older people, joint pain that gets steadily worse is usually a sign of osteoarthritis, associated with wear and tear.
He said: “Osteoarthritis can affect any joint in the body, but is normally seen in the large weight-bearing joints of the hip, knee and spine, and in the smaller joints of the fingers. It may result from an inherited weakness in cartilage – the rubbery-type tissue that separates the bones – but lifestyle is important too, and there are steps you can take to protect your joints.” Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition in which the antibodies that normally attack bacteria and viruses target the cells covering the joints, leaving them inflamed and sore. It is much less common but still affects more than 400,000 people, with women three times more likely to be affected than men. RA most commonly tends to start between the ages of 40 to 50.
If you suspect you may have RA, it’s important to see a doctor.
On top of this, strains, sprains and other injuries can be a root cause of joint pain too, possibly interfering with your daily movement and causing issues with mobility.
If you are affected by OA, Phil says painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen gel on the affected areas are useful for handling pain or discomfort.
Some research suggests taking glucosamine and chondroitin supplements daily can be useful for joint pain. Both of these substances have anti-inflammatory effects and are the building blocks of normal cartilage, which helps to protect joints.
Lifestyle changes can be helpful too. It might sound counter-intuitive, but a bit of light exercise may help to relieve some of the annoying symptoms of joint troubles. Low impact movement, such as swimming, can be a great option.
Another idea is applying a heat pack to any tender joint areas followed by an ice compress.
Switching up your diet can be useful if you’re dealing with the pain on a regular basis. Healthily losing excess weight, if this is a factor, can take the strain off of joints. Plus there’s a growing body of evidence that the active ingredient in turmeric, called curcumin, has soothing properties for arthritis.
Finally, a physical therapist can develop a movement plan to help keep you active.
It’s important to get medical help right away if the pain is so intense that’s it’s difficult to go about your normal life, or you feel like you can no longer use the joint.
You might need to see a specialist, and your doctor may refer you to a rheumatologist, who specialises in diseases or the bones, muscles or joints.
A trained medical expert can give you the best advice and course of treatment for your joint pain.