Last updated 21/03/2021 by The pain clinics - Interdisciplinary Health

7 Ways to Cushion Inflammation in Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis of the joints often causes both inflammation and fluid retention in the affected joints. Therefore, it is important to know about anti-inflammatory measures that can help you with such joint pain and arthritis. In this article, we go through 7 ways to curb osteoarthritis.

Arthritis is defined as arthritis, and often such inflammation breaks down the shock-absorbing cartilage that lies between the joints. This joint wear is called Osteoarthrtitis. Such joint breakdown is characteristic of certain rheumatic disorders - such as rheumatic arthritis - and provides a basis for characteristic joint deformities such as crooked and bent fingers.

TIP: Many people use it therefore specially adapted compression gloves (link opens in new window) for improved function in hands and fingers. These are especially common among rheumatologists and those who suffer from chronic carpal tunnel syndrome. Possibly there is also toe pullers og specially adapted compression socks if you are bothered by stiff and sore toes - possibly hallux valgus (inverted big toe).

We fight for those with other chronic pain diagnoses and rheumatism to have better opportunities for treatment and examination - but not everyone agrees with us on that. So we kindly ask you to like us on our FB page og our YouTube channel in social media to join us in the fight for an improved everyday life for thousands of people.

This article will go through seven anti-inflammatory ways to reduce inflammation in osteoarthritis - that is, seven ways you can fight arthritis due to osteoarthritis and arthritis. At the bottom of the article you can also read comments from other readers, as well as watch a video with exercises adapted to those with osteoarthritis. When you are finished, you will know several ways to curb inflammation in osteoarthritis and arthritis.

1. Lower the Stress Level

Do you still have a hundred balls in the air and barely a moment to yourself? It can make you sick and contribute to increased inflammatory reactions in your body. Research has shown that stress for the body's natural immune system to function poorly and that this contributes to being affected by illness. In fact, studies have shown that as many as 60-80% of all physician visits are most likely to have their basis in long-term stress (1).

Many people do not realize that stress can make you physically and mentally ill. Stress settles physically by tensing muscles and limiting your mobility - which thus contributes to stiff joints and reduced joint function. Over time, these physical problems can gradually get worse and worse - so that the symptoms also include headaches, neck-related dizziness and tingling down the arms. A well-known phenomenon that many with high shoulders in everyday life know about is the diagnosis stress neck.

The result of stress is also that pro-inflammatory processes contribute to fluid retention and inflammatory reactions in your bone tissue and joints. This is, of course, extremely unfavorable, as it causes the joint to be damaged by cartilage and other bone tissue being broken. Therefore, it is important to take time for yourself. Maybe you can try the physical treatment of muscles and joints, yoga, meditation or training in hot water pool?

We remind you that one of the best ways to prevent joint wear is by strengthening nearby stability muscles. Such prevention is primarily about strengthening the muscles that relieve the joints. For example, training the thighs, seat and hips can be a very good way to relieve both hip and knee arthritis (2). The video below shows examples of good hip osteoarthritis exercises.

VIDEO: 7 Exercises against Osteoarthritis in the Hip (Click below to start the video)

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2. Stop Smoking

Research has shown that people who have both arthritis and smoke have significantly more inflammatory processes in the body. So if you still smoke in our modern age then just do your best to cut it out. Not only does it increase mortality, increase the chance of cancer and stroke - but it also makes your osteoarthritis significantly worse. So quitting smoking is a good way to reduce inflammation in osteoarthritis.

A research study published in 2007 (3) followed 159 men with osteoarthritis for 30 months and the conclusion was crystal clear. The smoking group (half of the participants) had twice the amount of noise cancellation and degradation compared to those who did not smoke. Significantly higher pain was also reported among the same group. The researchers believe it is due to reduced oxygen in the bloodstream, increased levels of carbon monoxide in the blood, a decrease in blood circulation and thus a greatly reduced ability to repair cartilage and bone tissue.

Do you think it is very difficult to quit? Your GP can help you. To put this into perspective, people generally eat 3.4 grams each day according to research. So well over twice as much as the recommended dosage.

Too many people are plagued with chronic pain that destroys everyday life - that's why we encourage you to Share this article in social media, Feel free to like our Facebook page and say: "Yes to more research on chronic pain diagnoses". In this way, one can make the symptoms associated with this diagnosis more visible and ensure that more people are taken seriously - and thus get the help they need. We also hope that such increased attention can lead to greater funding for research on new assessment and treatment methods.

Also read: - 15 Early Signs of Rheumatism

Are you affected by rheumatism?

3. Anti-inflammatory Diet

You get the most important source of anti-inflammatory properties without side effects through your diet - not anti-inflammatory drugs. Roughly speaking, food and edible ingredients can be divided into three categories:

• Anti-inflammatory foods (such as fibromyalgia diet)
• Food that causes more inflammation (pro-inflammatory diet)
• Neutral food that does not tilt either way

So when we talk about pro-inflammatory food, it's about food and ingredients that give you more inflammatory reactions in your body and that help make your osteoarthritis worse (Read: 7 types of inflammatory foods that aggravate osteoarthritis). This then involves high-sugar foods (cakes, soft drinks, sweets and the like), as well as foods that have been processed to increase longevity or the like (for example, many types of junk food, donuts and french fries).

Anti-inflammatory diet is the exact opposite - and we have so much to say about it that we have written a separate article about it, which you can read via the link below. In short, these are foods and ingredients that have a high content of antioxidants and other anti-inflammatory nutrients, but which we recommend that you read more in the mentioned article to understand this in detail. Especially those affected by severe arthritic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and advanced osteoarthritis (stage 4), should be particularly strict with their diet and avoid the unnecessary temptations.

The "fibromyalgia diet" is a good example of a collection of anti-inflammatory dietary rules and tips. If you are suffering from osteoarthritis, arthritis, Fibromyalgia or other chronic pain syndromes.

Also read: - Research report: This is the Best Fibromyalgia Diet

Click on the link above to read more about the right diet adapted to those with fibromyalgia, muscle ailments and joint pain.

4. Regular and good sleep

With a focus on exercise, proper food and other measures, it is quickly forgotten to forget an important factor in combating inflammation: sleep. As we sleep, a number of important repair processes and maintenance routines are in progress. These can be disrupted and less effective if we suffer from reduced sleep quality and lack of sleep. Such lack of sleep hygiene can, among other things, result in less muscular repair, reduced daily energy and an aggravated pain picture with higher pain sensitivity and more frequent incidence of pain.

Unfortunately, so many forms of rheumatism can go hard beyond the night's sleep and sleep. Fibromyalgia is a good example of a soft tissue rheumatic pain syndrome which means that one must constantly change the position one sleeps in or that the pain awakens one from sleep both look and often. Precisely because of this, it is incredibly important that you as a rheumatist take the sleep routines with the utmost seriousness and that you follow general advice for getting better sleep.

Why not grab a delicious, relaxing cup of ginger before going to bed? Ginger can be recommended for anyone who suffers from rheumatic joint ailments - and it is also known that this root has one a host of other positive health benefits. This is because ginger has a powerful anti-inflammatory effect, and can thus attenuate inflammation in osteoarthritis and arthritis. Many people with osteoarthritis drink ginger as tea - and then preferably up to 3 times a day during periods when the inflammation in the joints is extremely strong. You can find some different recipes for this in the link below.

Also read: - 8 Incredible Health Benefits Of Eating Ginger

5. Customized, Gentle Training

If the doorstep is not high enough already when it comes to exercise - then you can imagine how high it will be if you are exhausted by rheumatism and fatigue in addition to the usual everyday challenges. It takes effort to walk around with chronic pain - a lot of effort. Therefore, it is extra important that you set aside your energy to do just something that gives you more energy over time; namely training. Exercise has also proven anti-inflammatory effect. It is therefore suitable as a good ingredient to reduce inflammation in osteoarthritis and arthritis.

Many people feel that they react negatively to exercise - and this is not uncommon in the beginning, even for those who are not affected by fibromyalgia or rheumatism. But it also gives an indication that you have trained a little too hard in relation to your own capacity and thus ended up being very numb and sore after the training session. The key to successful training lies in adapting to your own limitations and then gradually increasing - it takes a long time to get in shape, but with a good dose of patience you can do it.

To limit inflammation and contribute to normal blood circulation to muscles and joints, it is also essential with adapted exercise - and a form of exercise that many people benefit from is exercise in a hot water pool. This is a customized form of exercise that helps you strengthen your joints in a good and safe way.

Recommended Self-Help for Rheumatic and Chronic Pain

• Compression Noise (such as compression socks that contribute to increased blood circulation to sore muscles or specially adapted compression gloves against rheumatic symptoms in the hands)

Click on the image to read more about compression gloves.

• Mini tapes (many with rheumatic and chronic pain feel that it is easier to train with custom elastics)
• Trigger point Balls (self-help to work the muscles on a daily basis)
• Arnica cream or heat conditioner (many people report some pain relief if they use, for example, arnica cream or heat conditioner)

- Many people use arnica cream for pain due to stiff joints and sore muscles. Click on the image above to read more about how arnica cream can help relieve some of your pain situation.

You can read more about how this form of training can help you in the article below.

Also read: - How Helps Exercise In Hot Water Pool On Fibromyalgia

6. Anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS)

With the long sandwich list of side effects, no one wants to take either painkillers or anti-inflammatory drugs - but sometimes you do not have much choice. NSAIDS stands for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - anti-inflammatory drugs.

The only problem is that NSAIDS can also, as mentioned, lead to several serious side effects - such as stomach ulcers - and that it has also been linked to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. If you regularly take ibux or similar (voltaren), you should consult your doctor about side effects.

7. Weight loss

Research has shown that obesity is directly linked to increased incidence of inflammation in the body (4). So losing weight can be a good way to curb inflammation in osteoarthritis and arthritis. It has been seen that especially fatty tissue in the body has a higher incidence of inflammation among those with elevated BMI.

Precisely because of this, it is important that you work to maintain the ideal weight and possibly lose weight if you know that you are a little on the heavy side (too high BMI). The other factors we have mentioned in this article such as exercise, diet and more exercise in everyday life are key factors for you who want to lose weight. Feel free to contact your GP if you feel that it is difficult to do this on your own. Namely, your GP can help you with a referral to a nutritionist who can help you.

Also read: - 8 Natural Anti-Inflammatory Measures Against Rheumatism

More information? Join this group!

Join the Facebook group «Rheumatism and Chronic Pain - Norway: Research and news"(Press here) for the latest updates on research and media writing about rheumatic and chronic disorders. Here, members can also get help and support - at all times of the day - through the exchange of their own experiences and advice.

We sincerely hope that this article can help you in the fight against rheumatic diseases, osteoarthritis and chronic pain.

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Sources:

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