Non-pharmacological
1. Weight Loss
- Research shown → 5% to 10% reduction of body weight can dramatically reduce joint pain and improve exercise tolerance.
Tips to Lose Weight for Arthritis
#1: Keep Your Goal Reasonable
#2: Low-Impact Is the Way to Go
- walking long distances is difficult.
- therefore → swimming or water aerobics as a way to exercise without joint pain
#3: Diet Is Just as Important
- healthy diet
- trying to lose weight by a sudden, dramatic change in exercise habits or diet is unlikely to succeed.
#4: Get Help
- help and a support network
- talking with your doctor
- making goals with friends
- using online tools
2. Activity Modification
Exercise for Joint Pain:
Keep your weight down and your muscles strong → delay joint replacement and improve your surgical result from joint-replacement surgery
Learn different ways to exercise so that you are pain-free, despite your arthritis:
Pilates:
terrific way to strengthen the most important muscles in the body (the core) in a low-impact, safe manner
popular tool for injury treatment and management even with professional athletes
safe for the joints and can help improve body mechanics.
Water Workouts:
a way to perform normal activities without the impact of working out on land
can involve aerobics, walking, jogging or just about anything else
even sports can be played in the water (e.g. water polo, basketball, etc.), preventing joint pain.
Swimming:
your joints are supported by the water, easing arthritis pain
for people with the most severe arthritis in their hip or knee, swimming can be done with a pull buoy to give you a good cardiovascular workout without placing any burden on your hip or knees.
Cycling:
low-impact way to exercise, but the cyclic motion of cycling is stimulating for the cartilage within a joint
gives a good muscular and cardiovascular workout and loosens up stiff joints common in people with arthritis
start off with stationary cycling, and move outdoors as you get stronger.
Weight Machines:
can help strengthen muscles and is also an excellent way to stimulate bone health.
must be done safely, but with proper instruction, just about anyone can learn a few good strength-training exercise
even with a few dumbbells and some basic knowledge, a weight workout can be perfect for arthritis
Walking:
favorite activity of many arthritis patients
may not be the best workout for those with arthritis, walking for exercise is certainly better than no exercise at all
some ways to modify your walking for a better workout: trying interval walks and incorporating your arms.
3. Walking Aids
Single Point Cane
helpful for many conditions where a little extra support can alleviate pain and discomfort
cane is the simplest way to lend some support to the leg, though it is not an appropriate option when weight must be completely removed from the extremity.
good option for people who need more stability than given by single point cane
but who do not need the full support of a walker.
allow you to completely remove weight from the extremity
require good stability and upper body strength
often less useful to elderly patients
most supportive walking aid, though it's also the most cumbersome
excellent option for patients with poor balance or less upper body strength
4. Physical Therapy
Stretching Tight Muscles and Joints:
After an injury or surgery, scar tissue forms and soft tissue contracts
It is important to regularly stretch in these situations to ensure that scar formation does not get in the way of your rehabilitation.
Ice and Heat application
- useful in warming up and cooling off muscles
stimulate blood flow and decrease swelling
Ultrasound
high frequency sound waves to stimulate deep tissues within the body
warming and increased blood flow to these tissues
Electrical Stimulation
passes electric current to an affected area
blood flow increased
patient experiences diminished pain after treatment
5. Surgical Treatment
cartilage is removed and a metal & plastic implant is placed in the hip
total hip replacement (THR) surgery replaces the upper end of the thighbone (femur) with a metal ball and resurfaces the hip socket in the pelvic bone with a metal shell and plastic liner
an alternative to hip replacement
metal-on-metal hip device
THR requires that the upper portion of the femur bone be cut off to accept the stem portion of a THR hip device
The femur cap of the hip resurfacing surgery does not require the femur bone be cut off; it is shaped to accept the cap.
Both techniques require that a cup is placed in the acetabulum of the hip socket.
The potential advantages:
- less bone removal (bone preservation)
- a potentially lower number of hip dislocations due to a relatively larger femoral head size
- possibly easier revision surgery for a subsequent total hip replacement device because a surgeon will have more bone stock available to work with.The potential disadvantages of hip resurfacing are femoral neck fractures (rate of 0-4%), aseptic loosening, and metal wear.[2] .
Complementary Medicine
Acupuncture - works on the theory that inserting needles along energy lines of the body can stimulate energy flow and reduce pain
Alexander technique - a way of teaching improved posture to help people stand and move more efficiently
Aromatherapy - the use of essential oils from flowers, plants and trees, sometimes combined with massage
Chiropractic - manipulation to improve mobility and relieve pain by adjusting the joints of the spine and limbs where there are signs of restricted movement (not usually recommended for those with osteoporosis or inflamed joints)
Herbalism - use of plants and herbal remedies to treat illness
Homeopathy - a system of remedies based on giving people very dilute amounts of a substance that in larger amounts might produce symptoms similar to the condition being treated
Osteopathy - manipulation to restore normal action to the body and reduce pain (not usually recommended for those with osteoporosis or inflamed joints)
Reflexology - massage using pressure to the feet to improve the health of various parts of the body
Yoga - a combination of relaxation, breathing techniques and exercise to combat stress and help circulation and movement of the joints
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