Arthritis: Five Easy Ideas for Managing Arthritis Pain
Arthritis pain is no laughing matter.
Your senior may feel as if there’s nothing that she can do to cope with the pain she experiences, but there may be some solutions that she hasn’t tried yet.
Senior Care in Mills River NC: Arthritis
Bump up Her Intake of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Fish and other foods that are high in omega-3 fatty acids help to reduce inflammation in your senior’s body. Foods like tuna, salmon, and sardines are excellent choices. There are other foods that are high in omega-3s, too, like flax seeds, chia seeds, and walnuts. Your senior’s doctor can help you to determine how much she needs, and if a supplement might be a good idea.
Use Hot and Cold Therapy Together
Hot and cold therapies are useful on their own, but your senior might need a little more. Using cold and hot treatments in combination can give her a little more relief. Experiment a big with when heat therapy works best and when cold treatments work better. With either type of treatment, make sure that neither are on bare skin and make sure that she takes frequent breaks so that she doesn’t burn herself or cause other issues.
Find Ways to Move Regularly
Movement hurts when your senior has arthritis. But the irony is that moving a little bit more really does help. If your senior sits still for too long, she’s more likely to get stiff and sore, which contributes to the pain. Getting up every hour or so and doing a few simple stretches can help immensely, as can starting a regular exercise routine.
Try Massage Therapy
Massage therapy can be helpful in working out inflammation. It can also help to relax tired muscles that are supporting areas around affected joints. Using massage in conjunction with topical creams for arthritis may help. Some people find that massage is uncomfortable, though, so it’s definitely a case-by-case solution.
Work with Her Doctor
The most important step might be to work closely with your senior’s doctor. Every situation is different and her doctor can help you to accommodate other health issues and concerns while you’re helping your senior with arthritis. This can ensure that you’ve got all the bases as covered as possible.
If daily activities are difficult for your elderly family member, then having help from senior care providers can make life so much easier for her. They can take over tasks that are either painful or impossible for her to do, freeing up her energy for the things that she can do.