Arthritis

Caregiver Assistance Tips

1. Someone with Arthritis will be in a lot of pain. It is important to encourage a patient to adhere to their prescribed medication.
2. A patient with arthritis can help manage their symptons by following a certain diet. When preparing food please encourage an anti-inflammatory diet. Click here for dietary instructions.
3. Arthritis can be a frustrating and stressful condition which can lead to stress for a patient. It is important to remind them that it is okay to ask for help.

Information

Arthritis is extremely painful. It prevents us from leading active, healthy lifestyles and means that we are more likely to develop other serious illnesses. It does not mean that have to allow it to consume our lives. There are ways to combat the pain and overcome the hold that it could potentially have on your life. Assistance In Home care is here to help with that. Also to educate. Below is more information from the Arthritis foundation to help educate anybody about Arthritis.

Causes of Arthritis Pain

With arthritis and related diseases, pain is usually felt in the joints. It can be dull, sharp, burning, or a tight feeling that could only be described as having a boa constrictor squeezing one of your joints. The joint pain can be caused by the following:
inflammation of the tissues in the joint (rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis);
depletion of cartilage and lubricating fluid in the joint, resulting in the bones rubbing against one another with every movement (osteoarthritis)
buildup of uric acid crystals in the joint, causing inflammation (gout).
Arthritis Pain Treatment The treatments for arthritis care depends on the cause. Inflammatory arthritis diseases are treated with DMARDs (such as methotrexate) and biologics, which calm down the immune system. This may help ease the pain. Long-term use of anti-inflammatory pain relievers, like ibuprofen or naproxen, is often needed in order to help ease the pain. In addition, chronic pain is often treated with analgesics and, in extreme cases, certain opioids. Over time, chronic pain produces changes in the brain. These neurological changes make the pain more and more rooted, and harder to treat. Over time, because of ongoing inflammation and damage caused by arthritis, it is hard for the body to turn off the pain response. This causes ongoing pain even once the underlying issue as been resolved. Drugs that help maintain chemical balance in the brain may help ease this kind of pain. These include antidepressants and anticonvulsants, which are often used to treat chronic pain of fibromyalgia. If you want to learn more about arthritis and arthritis care, please follow this link to the Arthritis Foundation.