Some of the treatment methods of osteoarthritis in hospitals are very expensive. There are many ways of managing osteoarthritis at home and continue doing the normal activities with less stress and pain. Even though the home treatments can help, it will require commitment and change of one’s lifestyle.
Body health in managing osteoarthritis
- Weight loss
One of the predisposing factors of osteoarthritis is gaining weight. Weight increases the pressure on the joints especially the joints of the limbs. Reducing weight will lessen the pressure on the joints. A lot of pain can be relieved if a small amount of weight is lost. Exercise and diet can play a vital role in weight loss and relieve the joints off the pain.
- Exercises
Undertaking exercise activities routinely will be very important in managing osteoarthritis at home. Some of the home activities that are a good exercise for the joints includes swimming, jogging, riding bikes and other physical fitness practices. The exercise will improve the joint health and alleviate some pain. However excess training can result to increase in pain thus less intense exercise is preferred.
Assistance devices and customised equipment
The pain from the movement of the joint is the nightmare of osteoarthritis. Managing osteoarthritis at home will be best if we reduce the range of movements of the joint. Utilising devices that help minimise the pain of the joints is thus imperative. The devices and tools also contribute to keeping the patient comfortable thus can undertake the normal home activity efficiently.
For movement using walkers, canes, splints and orthotics shoes comes in handy. This device helps in reducing the weight exerted on the joint for example legs joints while walking and this, in turn, reduces the pain that a person feels when undertaking different activities.
For the people with osteoarthritis of the fingers, having objects that have large handle will reduce straining of having a grip on the objects. This will be vital for essential tools such as toothbrushes, spoons, knives, among other instruments.
There are other tools purposely created for different work and come in handy for managing osteoarthritis patients. The assistance devices are available, and undertaking activities will never be the same when one has these devices. For example, button hook device.
Additionally, restructuring one house could enable more comfortability of the patients. For example, having a bench in the shower, the patients living in the ground floor to avoid stairs and rotating chairs all increase the comfortability and managing osteoarthritis at home.
Home treatments and therapy
Many home-based therapies can enable one to reduce the pain of the joints. Such therapies include:
- Cold and hot water therapy- both cold and hot water is useful in relieving pain. Using warm water reduces joint stiffness cold water therapy enhance muscle function which in turn reduces pain.
- Application of herbal creams that have some medicinal value. For example, the topical capsaicin when applied continuously on the joints helps in relieving pain. It is an alternative to NSAIDS drugs.
