Has joint pain been getting in the way of your day to day activities? Is movement getting more and more difficult? Know that you’re not alone, and more than 50 million Americans or 1 in 5 adults deal with the condition. Most people are unaware that kids can also get arthritis. The Arthritis Foundation reports that more than 300,000 children suffer from the disease. Although arthritis typically affects the joints, it can also affect the heart, lungs, kidneys, and other organs. Even as the statistics continue to grow each year, doctors are looking for better and more effective solutions.
Your Options for Managing Arthritis
Should you consult your doctor and ask about the best solutions for arthritis, she will likely recommend medication, corticosteroid injections, and in extreme cases, surgery. If you’re concerned about the possible side effects that conventional treatments may have, she might suggest that you consider natural treatments for arthritis. These solutions can include herbal supplements, vitamins and minerals, and other natural therapies. You could also consider the new, upcoming treatment that has been found to be very effective in helping you lower the pain and inflammation, namely, PRP injection for arthritis.
Herbal Supplements
Many naturally available herbs, roots, and other foods can help you lower inflammation levels and also act as organic pain relievers and antioxidants. Scientific research has proved that these compounds are actually helpful as natural treatments for arthritis. While it is best to include these foods into your everyday diet, you can check with your physician for supplements available in capsule form that you can take regularly. Some of these foods/ supplements include:
- Salmon and tuna that contain good amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids
- Seeds of certain plants like black currant, evening primrose, and borage that contain Omega-6 fatty acids
- Green tea
- Ginger
- Turmeric that contains natural curcumin
- Rose hip that is rich in Vitamin C
- White willow tea
- Boswellia
- Probiotics present in yogurt, kefir, raw cheese, and apple cider vinegar to name a few.
Vitamin and Mineral Supplements
While you can take vitamin and mineral supplements as natural treatments for arthritis, it is best to take them in optimum doses under the supervision of your physician. That’s because an overdose of these supplements can be harmful to your body. When taken in the right doses, these vitamins and minerals can help you in many ways. Scientific studies have shown that they can strengthen the body tissues, act as antioxidants, assist you with anemia and weak bones, and provide a host of other benefits for managing arthritis. Some of the commonly recommended vitamins and minerals are:
- Minerals like calcium, chromium, folate, iron, magnesium, fluoride, sodium, and zinc among others.
- Vitamins including A, B-1, B-12, B-2, B-6, C, D, E, and K.
Massages, Baths, and Exercise
Check with your specialist for non-invasive natural treatments for arthritis like massages, baths, and exercise. Many such therapies have been proven to help reduce swelling and discomfort and promote pain-free movement. Here are some of them:
- Epsom salt bath: Make a bath with a solution of half a cup of Epsom salts and warm water. Fill an immersion bowl with the solution and dip the affected joint. For arthritis of the hip or knees, you can also try a Sitz bath that has 1 cup of Epsom salts in warm water.
- Exercise the affected joints gently. You could also train under a professional physiotherapist who can direct you on the right exercises that you can do. Know the types of arthritis in feet. Regular movement helps keep the joints lubricated and strengthens the muscles that support them. As a result, you’ll find that movement is easier and you have less pain.
- Lose weight if you need to. Excess weight can put extra stress on the joints and makes movement painful.
- Hot or cold compresses can also help you lower the discomfort. Check with your doctor about the kind of compresses that will work well for you.
- Applications of essential oils like eucalyptus oil and peppermint oil mixed with carrier oils like almond or olive are very effective natural treatments for arthritis.
- Massages with warm extra virgin olive oil
- Other therapies likeacupuncture, tai chi, meditation, yoga, physical training, over-the-counter gels like capsaicin, swimming, and electrical stimulations are also recommended by physicians.
PRP Injection for Arthritis
PRP injection for arthritis is one of the most innovative of treatments that can help you reverse the causes of arthritis by stimulating the repair of both hard and soft tissues in the body. Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy is absolutely safe with no possibility of any side effects. That’s because the serum used in the treatment is formulated from your blood. You’ll only have to give a small sample and doctors can formuate the plasma while you wait. The entire process takes only about 30 to 45 minutes to complete. Typically, patients start to see improvement in the inflammation and levels of discomfort within 4 to 6 weeks of taking the PRP injection.
Choosing the Right Treatment for Arthritis
Arthritis can be an extremely debilitating condition, but thankfully, help is at hand. You can choose from a range of natural treatments for arthritis that can help you lead a normal life, one of which is PRP therapy. If needed, you can opt for the modality to complement any other conventional or natural therapies you’re taking. Talk to your doctor about PRP injection for arthritis, and you might find that it is not only very safe and effective but also more economical as compared to the annual, comprehensive costs of the other treatments you may have tried so far.