It is difficult to ignore joint stiffness, especially when that stiffness develops into joint pain. Thankfully, there are options available for people suffering from chronic stiffness and/ or pain. It is best to experiment with care options to see which one works best for your body. Joint replacement is an option for those who are not experiencing relief from more preliminary methods such as physical therapy, medication, or simple lifestyle changes.
What Can a Person Do to Help With Joint Pain?
The joints in our bodies are where two sections of bone meet. These sections are cushioned by articular cartilage. Unfortunately, articular cartilage can diminish overtime for a few reasons. Surprisingly, even everyday wear-and-tear causes this to diminish overtime but the top offenders are overuse injuries.
Physical Therapy Can Alleviate Some Joint Stiffness and Pain.
A pain treatment center could be instrumental in helping you create a program to minimize joint stiffness or pain. A program might include a low impact cardiovascular program to promote mobility in the body.
Stiffness is reduced as the body’s heart rate increases, thereby pumping blood throughout the body and warming up the muscles. Overtime patients usually report a decrease in stiffness and joint pain intensity.
Medications and Lifestyle Changes Can Minimize Some Joint Stiffness and Pain.
Simple non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDS, are often prescribed to ease joint pain. It is important for patients to take only the recommended dose, as abuse of these over the counter drugs can cause liver damage. This treatment option is best combined with other methods.
Simple lifestyle changes can help minimize joint pain. Overuse injuries can lead to joint pain and stiffness later on. Removing these activities from your daily schedule could prove helpful. For example, someone who runs five miles everyday might find their knee pain goes away when they switch to swimming everyday instead. Also, adding calming no-impact activities such as yoga or tai chi as a work out plan could be beneficial to those who currently do not exercise at all.
Joint Replacement May Be the Answer In Some Cases of Chronic Joint Pain.
Joint replacement therapy might be recommended by your doctor if your pain is not relieved by the aforementioned actions. It is preferable to experiment with those methods first. Pain that doesn’t go away with other treatments could require joint replacement surgery for lasting relief.
The damaged joint will be capped or replaced to insure the joints move smoothly. A common material used in these procedures is metal, which might be titanium, steel, polyethylene, or polished ceramic. The material is chosen by the surgeon based on the joint in question and the amount of damage to the joint.
Joint replacement surgery can be an option for people who suffer from chronic stiffness and pain. However, other options should be explored first. These include taking medication, some lifestyle changes, and targeted physical therapy. It is recommended that a low-impact cardiovascular program be implemented to assist with joint mobility. If these methods do not provide significant relief from the pain, joint replacement might be necessary.
