At-Home Strategies to Alleviate Arthritis Pain

Arthritis can be debilitating. It can prevent you from engaging in activities that you love. At 

Neuropathy & Pain Centers of Texas, our board-certified family and pain management physicians and physician’s assistant help relieve your arthritis pain, whether it’s in your back, knee, or other joint. 

Did you know you can be proactive in reducing your arthritis pain, too? Lifestyle choices and habits can help improve or worsen the inflammation associated with arthritis. Following are at-home strategies you can implement to ease the discomfort of arthritis. 

Make dietary changes 

You may not be aware that what you eat can trigger and worsen inflammation in your body. Some of the dietary triggers for inflammation include these foods which may be among those you eat frequently or every day: 

• Red meat and processed meat like bacon, sausage, and salami
• Fried foods
• Sugary processed foods like cakes, brownies, cookies
• Caffeine 
• Alcohol

Try cutting back on those foods and beverages and incorporating anti-inflammatory foods into your diet. The Mediterranean diet is one of several diet options that are proven to reduce inflammation. Once you realize that eating all those sugary and fried foods are triggering joint pain, it’s not so hard to make them a once-in-a-while treat rather than an everyday choice. 

Try incorporating fatty fish into your diet. There are a number of choices, including salmon and tuna. Instead of french fries, try baking a sweet potato. You’ll very likely experience less joint pain with a plant-based diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries are especially potent in fighting inflammation.  

Get regular exercise 

Physical activity may be the last thing on your mind when you have arthritis pain. We can provide medical treatments to calm your inflammation. Once your pain and stiffness subsides, it’s important to get regular exercise to remain healthy and help reduce pain, swelling, and stiffness. 

Exercise helps lubricate the soft tissue called cartilage around your joints and keep it in good condition. It keeps the muscles strong that surround your joints, helping you to maintain balance and avoid falls. Your Neuropathy & Pain Centers of Texas doctor advises you on the type of exercise that is going to benefit you. 

Maintain a normal weight  

Maintaining a normal weight is one of the best things you can do to ease arthritis pain. Excess weight over a long period of time can lead to the breakdown of cartilage and osteoarthritis. Your knees, hips, and other joints can’t support the extra weight. 

We can refer you to weight management programs if you have trouble losing weight on your own. You’ll improve your mobility and reduce arthritis pain when you lose excess pounds. 

Use heat and ice

It may be hard to get going in the morning because of stiffness in your knees and other joints. Taking a warm shower or bath helps loosen up stiff joints. A heating pad can also help day or night. You can also buy over-the-counter creams with capsaicin, a natural remedy that heats your joint.  

After you’ve exercised, use an ice pack to the joint that gives you pain, but you shouldn’t put ice directly onto your skin. 

Call one of our four convenient Neuropathy & Pain Centers of Texas offices or book an appointment online today if you have painful arthritis.