Osteoarthritis is the most common kind of arthritis. It is a degenerative disease. The true cause of osteoarthritis is yet to be discovered.
Main symptom of osteoarthritis is pain in the joint. It becomes worse till the end of the day or any activity. As you take rest the pain subsides. The stiffness of the joint after prolonged nonuse often results in pain.
Pain and swelling of the joints are the main symptoms of osteoarthritis. As there is no know cure for osteoarthritis all one can do is to educate oneself about the disease. There are many ways to tackle the pain. In some ways change in life style may bring some relief to the patient. Sometimes over weight people develop osteoarthritis. Researchers have found out if weight reduction measures are taken by the patient then the pain in the weight bearing joints reduces considerably.
Another way of getting pain relief measure from osteoarthritis is to start exercise. As the muscles around the joint gain strength the pain subsides. The process of degeneration can be prolonged with proper exercise.
There are some creams and gels available in the market which helps to reduce the pain in the joints after applying it to the aching joint. Sometimes electrical impulses are used to block pain signals to the brain thus the patient feels relief. Researches indicate that acupuncture can effectively help relieve pain in the osteoarthritis knee. Another pain relief measure for osteoarthritis is to use ultrasound. It uses sound waves to generate heat in the surrounding tissues which helps in pain relief.
Diathermy is used to increase blood flow around the diseased joint so that it relives the pain and helps in healing.
If the knee joint has developed osteoarthritis then sometimes braces are used. So the weight bearing point has some support. So when you walk with the braces or with the help of a cane the weight bearing joint experiences pain relief. It is found that taping you knee can be used as pain relief measure.
As pain is the primary symptom of osteoarthritis the pain relief measures are constantly under consideration. The doctor may prescribe various pain killers available in the market. But each patient has to be treated differently. The research is going on to see if dietary supplements can help in reduction of pain in osteoarthritis. Vitamin E taken on a daily basis can also help relieve pain. Vitamin D slows the progression of the disease. Vitamin B3 is taken to ease the pain and stiffness and Boron is taken to decrease inflammation and pain.