Are You suffering, but needn’t be?
My biggest bug bear is when people suffer needlessly. I had pain and restriction in my knees with Osteoarthritis for 7 years and when I stumbled on the solution it took me 3 months to resolve the pain and stiffness entirely!
Since then I frequently see people who have been suffering needlessly with osteoarthritis symptoms. They are often resigned to the fact that there is nothing that can be done to help, in some cases people are told they have to wait until the joint gets worse and then they can have it replaced. One gentleman was told exactly that, but with appropriate treatment he is now pain free and much happier. This is his story…link
So how do you know if you will benefit from what this type of osteoarthritis treatment? There are a many important indicators that I look at when assessing someones osteoarthritis symptoms but there is a stand out feature that many can relate to and there is a very quick test to verify it.
Osteoarthritis sufferers often say that when they soak in a hot bath/hot pools or similar they usually feel their pain eases and their movement is freer. This is an interesting observation and gives me clues as to what may be contributing to their problems.
A Quick and easy home test
So the ‘quick test’ that I often ask people with Osteoarthritis symptoms to try, is to spend 15 minutes with hot water (normal bath temperature) applied to the joint and associated limbs. A spa pool or similar is ideal as long as you can get in and out of it safely. But before doing this you must have medical clearance to do so from your Doctor, as it can be dangerous for certain medical conditions. If this activity is unsuitable then use the shower or something more accessible.
Although this is obviously not a conclusive diagnostic test it is a useful indicator to see if an osteoarthritis sufferer may benefit from my other treatment ideas.