How Is Arthritis Pain Treated?

There is no single treatment that applies to all people with arthritis, with chronic pain, a multi-modality approach (using several different pain relief techniques) is often the best. However, be very careful if using medications or herbal remedies. A doctor’s or other professional’s advice is important. A number of treatments can provide short-term pain relief.

Techniques for Short-Term Relief:

• Heat and cold– whether you use heat or cold for arthritis pain depends on the type of arthritis. Moist heat, such as a warm bath or a moisture absorbing pad, or dry heat, such as a heating pad, placed on the painful area of the joint for about 15 minutes may relieve the pain. An ice pack (or a bag of frozen vegetables) wrapped in a towel and placed on the sore area for about 15 minutes may help to reduce swelling and stop the pain. Comfort packs work exceptionally well for each of these applications.  They are reusable, neat, can be used anywhere and incorporate herbal aromatherapy to calm and relax you while you heal.  If you have poor circulation, do not use cold packs.
• Medications — Because people with osteoarthritis have very little inflammation, pain relievers such as acetaminophen may be effective. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis generally have pain caused by inflammation and often benefit from aspirin or  (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen.
• Joint Protection — A splint or a brace to allow joints to rest and protect them from injury can be helpful.
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) — A small TENS device that directs mild electric pulses to nerve endings that lie beneath the skin in the painful area may relieve some arthritis pain. TENS seems to work by blocking pain messages to the brain and by modifying pain perception.
• Massage — In this pain-relief approach, a massage therapist will lightly stroke and/or knead the painful muscle. This may increase blood flow and bring warmth to a stressed area. However, arthritis-stressed joints are very sensitive so the therapist must be very familiar with the problems of the disease.
• Acupuncture — This procedure should only be done by a licensed acupuncture therapist. In acupuncture, thin needles are inserted at specific points in the body. Scientists think that this stimulates the release of natural, pain-relieving chemicals produced by the brain or the nervous system.

Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are chronic diseases that may last a lifetime. Learning how to manage your pain over the long term is an important factor in controlling the disease and maintaining a good quality of life.

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