How to treat arthritis without medication?

Arthritis pain is a range of conditions involving pain and inflammation in the joints.

It is a degenerative condition, meaning the symptoms tend to worsen over time. It can also be an autoimmune form of arthritis accompanied by extra-articular symptoms, characterized by inflammatory flares and a chronic clinical course.

These two types of arthritis are osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

OA mainly happens as a result of when wear and tear of cartilage, which causes bones to rub together, leading to friction, damage, and inflammation.

RA is a systemic condition that triggers symptoms throughout the body. It’s an autoimmune disease that mistakenly causes the immune system to attack healthy joint tissue.

Doctors can prescribe medication to relieve the pain caused by the condition, but they often recommend natural solutions as well.

Always consult your doctor before trying any remedy for arthritis, whether it involves medication or not.

Manage your weight

Your weight can have a significant impact on arthritis symptoms. This is because being overweight puts more pressure on your joints, mainly your knees, hips, and feet.

Guidelines from the American College of Rheumatology and Arthritis Foundation (ACR/AF) strongly recommend losing weight if you have OA and are overweight or obese.

Reducing the stress on your joints by losing weight can help improve your mobility, decrease pain and prevent further damage to your joints.

Get enough exercise

If you have arthritis, exercise can help.

Current guidelines strongly recommend starting a suitable exercise routine. Exercising with a trainer or friend may be especially beneficial because it increases motivation.

Good options include low-impact exercises, such as walking, cycling, tai chi, water activities, and swimming.

Use hot and cold therapy

Heat and cold treatments can help relieve arthritis pain and inflammation.

Heat treatments can include taking a long, warm shower or bath in the morning to help alleviate stiffness and using an electric blanket or moist heating pad to reduce discomfort during the night.

Cold treatments can help relieve joint pain, swelling, and inflammation. Wrap a gel ice pack or a bag of frozen vegetables in a towel and apply it to painful joints for quick relief. Never use it directly on the skin.

Capsaicin, which comes from chili peppers, is a component of some topical ointments and creams that you can buy over the counter. These products provide warmth that can soothe joint pain.