Looking for a way to prevent arthritis pain? Let me tell you, you can’t always prevent arthritis pain because joints usually wear off over time naturally. Besides, risk factors like age and family history can’t be prevented. However, with certain lifestyle strategies, you can improve the overall health of joints and prevent joint pain. Learn what to do (or avoid) to manage your joint pain and tips to ease joint pain in this article. Log on to www.doralhw.org for a consultation.

Dos and don’ts
Here are certain things you should do and avoid to manage your joint pain and get a faster recovery.
Do’s
• Learn all about the conditions that cause joint pain like the type of arthritis you have, how your joints are damaged, and your treatment options.
• Do some gentle stretches to move your joints to their available range of motion.
• Learn how to sit, stand, or move correctly to avoid strain on the joint.
• Take proper rest and do activities that don’t strain the joint.
• If you’re overweight or obese, ask the doctor to create a weight loss plan for you that helps to lower arthritis pain.
• You can learn some exercises from a physical therapist to increase the range of motion of your joints and strengthen the muscles around the joint.
• You can use over-the-counter medications to relieve joint pain. Consult the doctor if over-the-counter measures don’t work.
• You can use heat and cold therapy to relieve your pain temporarily. Make sure you use them for not more than 20 minutes at a time. You can use this several times a day.
• If you have negative or discouraging thoughts, you should try some relaxation techniques such as meditation, yoga, deep breathing, listening to music, acupuncture, etc. If these techniques don’t help, consulting a mental health professional can help.

Don’t
• Don’t perform activities that involve high-impact and repetitive motion like running, jumping, tennis, high-impact aerobics, etc.
• Don’t use over-the-counter pain relievers without consulting the doctor first.
• Don’t ignore severe or prolonged pain. This may occur due to joint inflammation or damage that requires treatment.
• Don’t let negative thoughts take control of your mood. Depression is prevalent in people with arthritis. Doctors have found that treating their depression with antidepressants or other therapies lowers not only depression symptoms but also arthritis pain as well.
• Don’t smoke as an emotional coping tool because it causes stress that affects connective tissues and leads to more joint problems.

Tips to ease joint pain
Here are some tips you can use to ease your joint pain, including:
1. Perform some exercises:
Exercise may not be the first thing that comes to mind to lower your pain. However, some exercises like strength training, flexibility training, and balance training can be helpful for your joints and the muscles that surround your joints. These exercises can lower stiffness, pain, and inflammation from different forms of arthritis, increase the range of motion, and strengthen the muscles to support the joints.
You can try low-impact exercise programs like swimming, cycling, or walking, or ask your doctor to tell you what types of exercises are best for you. You can also hire a physical therapist who teaches how to perform exercise in the right form which lowers the risk of stress on the joints.

2. Manage your weight:
If you’re overweight or obese, you need to work on losing weight to reduce the pressure and wear and tear that extra weight puts on those painful joints. Around 23% of people who are overweight or 31% of people with obesity in the USA are diagnosed with arthritis. If someone loses just 1 pound of weight, 4 pounds of pressure is reduced on the knee in people who have knee arthritis. So, losing 10 to 20% of body weight can significantly improve pain, life quality, and functioning. The best way to do it is to stick with low-impact exercises and eat a healthy diet.

3. Eat fish or take omega-3 supplements:
If your joint pain is caused by rheumatoid arthritis (RA), eating fish, or taking omega-3 supplements can help. Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fat that offers many benefits like reducing inflammation which causes joint pain and tenderness in people with RA. If you eat fish, you should add salmon, trout, mackerel, or sardines to your diet twice a week. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, then you can add other sources of omega-3s like:
• Nuts and seeds, such as walnuts, flaxseeds, and chia seeds.
• Plant oils, such as soybean, canola, and flaxseed oils.
• Fortified juices and soy beverages.
You can also try to add omega-3 supplements to your diet as well.

4. Protect your joints:
Several activities like bending the knees, climbing, kneeling, heavy lifting, and squatting lead to joint problems over time. Standing or being exposed to vibrations are other risk factors that increase the risk of OA. Certain jobs can increase the joint problems, including:
• Builder
• Cleaner
• Farmer
• Metal worker
• Floor layer
To protect your joints, you need to use the right techniques when you do any activity that may strain your joints. For example, if you do heavy lifting, do it with your knees and hips, not with your back, when picking up objects. Carrying items close to your body prevents strain on your wrists.

5. Get more ergonomic work furniture:
You need to set up your home and office more ergonomically to prevent strain and pain in already sore joints. For instance, if you need to sit for prolonged periods at work, make sure your back, legs, and arms are well supported. At work, make sure you place a computer monitor or laptop screen around arm’s length from you and 15 degrees below your sight line to avoid neck strain. Use an ergonomic keyboard and mouse to keep your arms and hands in a neutral position. Choose an office chair with good lower back support with a headrest. Sit with a straight back and keep your feet firmly on the floor or on a footrest. Set your arms rest at a 90-degree angle so that when you place your arms on them it keeps your wrists straight.

6. Avoid injury:
Your joints wear out naturally over time, however, when your joints get injured, they wear out faster (like during playing sports and due to an accident) because you damage the cartilage and cause it to wear out more quickly. So, to avoid injury, warm up first before playing sports and use proper safety equipment like wearing knee, wrist, and elbow pads and comfortable and supportive shoes.

7. Use braces:
If the pain is too great you should use a wrap, brace, and splint to immobilize the area.

While you can’t always prevent arthritis because there are hundreds of different types of arthritis, each has its causes and risk factors. However, certain lifestyle strategies can help you to improve your overall joint health and prevent joint pain. If your joint pain is not manageable with lifestyle changes, then you should see a healthcare professional for medical diagnosis and treatment.

Need help with joint pain, visit our pain management clinic in Brooklyn to get professional medical treatment. Call us to book your appointment now!!!
Your pain needs professional assistance, visit our pain management clinic in Brooklyn today or call to get a consultation. The location at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11212 is well-served by public transportation, including many bus routes, and the subway line. Visit our website at http://www.painmanagementbrooklyn.com/ or contact us on +1-347-384-5690 for additional details.