There is a myriad of great things that you can do for Osteoarthritis. But here is my Top 3 Tips for Osteoarthritis;
1.0 Moist Heat – Probably the simplest, most effective and useful tool. Only heat the muscle. Moist heat e.g hot mineral packs are best. Heating the affected joint can irritate inflammation.
Not only will heating the muscle potentially reduce the pain but it can also tell you a lot about some of the underlying causes of the pain. Because if heat helps to reduce the pain then it is essentially telling us that the muscle tension is a contributing factor. This is essential to know in getting the best results for your pain.
Have you ever found relief in soaking in a hot pool/bath/spa etc? Then this may confirm the muscles involvement. Furthermore if soaking in hot water helps and doesn’t irritate the joint then it may be that the joint is not too inflamed.
2.0 Ice – If the joint is inflamed then cold is what the joint needs. But don’t ice the muscle otherwise this will cause the muscle to contract and may make the pain worse.
The results of Ice also give us some clues as to what factors are involved in the causes of the pain. If the ice gives huge relief then it means that the inflammation is a major factor. However if the ice gives little benefit then there could easily be other factors involved, especially if heat helps as described above!
3.0 Stretch – Stretching the muscles around the joint will ease pressure on the joint, can increase movement and thus help reduce pain.
There are many ways to stretch the muscles but trigger point release is the least likely to irritate inflammation and still get results.
So these are my top 3 tips for Osteoarthritis. If you have found this interesting, then you will really want to read my book; How I Achieved Freedom From Arthritis.