Arthritis pain can be especially bothersome, because it often affects important parts of the body that we use every day.
People with severe arthritis in their hands may have trouble doing normal every day, such as typing on a keyboard or opening a container.
In order to get by, it's important to develop good strategies for arthritis pain management.
There are many different ways to help your body cope with pain.
The first thing that's important to remember is the mind's effect on pain.
When a person has to deal with chronic pain, they often respond by feeling helpless and depressed.
Believe it or not, feelings of depression can actually make the physical pain even worse.
The increased pain just makes the emotional feelings even worse, and it creates a dangerous cycle that can be hard to break out of.
That's why it is important to maintain a positive mindset and believe that you can overcome your pain.
With that in mind, one simple way to reduce arthritis pain is to use hot and cold to your advantage.
Cold helps to reduce inflammation - simply applying an ice pack or cold compress can help to relieve pain a bit during a flare up.
Heat, on the other hand, helps to relax your joints and improves blood circulation.
A heating pad or even just a regular warm bath can help with pain in the long run.
Another approach to arthritis pain management that plays more to the mental side of things is learning relaxation techniques.
By mastering certain techniques, you can begin to feel like you are in control of your pain, rather than the other way around.
It's a classic case of mind over matter.
There are many ways to achieve relaxation, from meditation to prayer to hypnosis.
Different people respond to different approaches, but rest assured that relaxation can help.
One last quick tip has to do with your diet.
Arthritis and your diet can sometimes go hand and hand.
Next time you have a flare up think back to what you have eaten the last day or two.
Many times we find food allergies to be underlying causes of arthritic pain.
Who knew the pizza you ate on Friday night could be contributing to the pain you are feeling Sunday morning.