1. Use Heat and Ice As Needed
Taking a hot bath for 1/2 hour in the morning may help ease the stiffness you may feel right after getting out of bed. Hot showers can do the same thing, if you're comfortable enough to stand. Saunas, hot tubs and warm packs all have this same benefit. With warm packs, however, you can put warmth right on the spot that needs to loosen up while other methods of heat therapy provide all-over muscle and joint relaxation.
Ice packs reduce inflammation and provide an analgesic, pain-relieving effect. Wrap a cold icepack in a towel, and then place it against the painful point. Keep the pack there for 10 to 15 minutes and use it three to four times a day, as needed. Never put a cold pack directly against your skin without wrapping it in a towel, however, as this could damage your skin and the underlying tissue.
2. Rub in Some Capsaicin Cream
Capsaicin cream is very beneficial in reducing the pain of arthritis. This cream derives its main ingredient from cayenne peppers. When you rub it into your painful joints, the capsaicin begins to numb the nerves in the area, blocking the transmission of pain. It usually takes 2 to 3 weeks of rubbing capsaicin cream into your joints three to four times a day for the numbing action to take full effect. After that, daily use of capsaicin cream will keep the pain at bay.
3. Keep Exercising
Daily exercise treats arthritis pain by keeping your joints strong and flexible. Since you probably won't feel like doing anything too strenuous when you have arthritis, keep it simple. Twenty to 30 minutes of walking, swimming, yoga or gentle stretching three to four times a week is enough to give you the pain-relieving benefits you're after and to keep your joints mobile. Exercise not only keeps your joints healthy, but it also releases endorphins into your system that make you feel good all over and naturally relieve pain.
4. Take Your Medicine
Taking a daily non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drug is an excellent way to treat arthritis pain. It's fast, it's effective and many of these medications are available over the counter. You can also get a prescription from your doctor if you need something stronger. Non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs relieve pain as well as inflammation, so they're doubly beneficial to people with arthritis.
