Osteoarthritis is an extremely painful form of arthritis in the joints. There are prescription medications available to help sufferers cope. There are also natural medicines used to reduce the severity of the pain. However, as of right now there is no cure. One of the best ways to deal with osteoarthritis is to make changes in your life that can diminish the affects of the disease.



Strengthen and Stretch Your Muscles and Joints

Stronger muscles means less stress on joints and that can greatly reduce the pain suffered from osteoarthritis. Daily exercise is the key to keeping your joints flexible and strong and your muscles toned so that they better protect your joints. As with any exercise routine it is important for you to consult your doctor to see which exercises are safe and beneficial for you.

In the beginning you can just do resistive water exercises, elastic band, free weights and exercise machines so that you can determine which osteoarthritis treatment is the best for you. Other kinds of physical therapy exercises are extremely helpful like swimming, water aerobics, walking, bicycling, cross-country skiing, strengthening and stretching.

Be Considerate of Your Joints

Consider your affected joints in your daily activity. If you suffer from osteoarthritis in your knees avoid activities that put a lot of strain on the knees. Taking special care of the affected joints will help reduce the severity of your pain. When you are required to do some activities that put strain on your affected joints get plenty of rest afterward and allow that joint to fully recover.

Other Therapeutic Options

Alternating between hot presses and cold presses can offer great relief for osteoarthritis pain in your joints. If you are experiencing a flare up try a heating pad and then follow up with an ice pack. This is a method used by many athletic people to sooth joint pain. If you have advanced osteoarthritis more will be needed to relieve your pain.

Medication

For severe osteoarthritis sufferers prescription anti-inflammatory medications such as Celebrex have been used to relieve pain. These can completely relieve all osteoarthritis pain. However, there are serious side effects. In 2004 some of these medications were pulled because they were proven to cause strokes and heart attacks. Another option is a milder anti-inflammatory medication that contains no steroids. However, these can not offer 100% relief from the pain that osteoarthritis sufferers experience.