If you’re living with Osteoarthritis it can be debilitating and have a major impact on your quality of life. Being informed about your condition and using a range of strategies to help you maintain your health can help reduce pain, increase movement and go a long way to getting back to doing the things you love to do.
Six tips for managing Osteoarthritis
Education:Be thoroughly educated on your chronic condition, and this will assist you in your best choice of treatment. There is a lot of information available on osteoarthritis, but make sure you are researching what is relevant to you.
Weight Management: Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is one effective treatment method for joint pain. Ask your GP to check your BMI, and suggest effective methods of weight loss and maintenance in necessary.
Medication Management: The best medication for joint pain is Panadol Osteo (or equivalent). It is a relatively safe medication, but always check with your GP before commencing, particularly if you have liver disease.
Physiotherapy: Visit your physiotherapist and request some strengthening and range of motion exercises which are useful tools for managing the symptoms of joint pain.
Lifestyle Modification: Modify the activities that you perform if you suffer from joint pain. Choose low impact activities such as walking, swimming and cycling, rather than high impact activities such as running which can exacerbate your pain.
Injections:There are a number of injections available to help treat joint osteoarthritis. Discuss the most suitable options for you with your GP or a joint Specialist.
Victorian Orthopaedic Group specialise in hip and knee replacement to help you get back to doing the things you love. Please consult your GP for further advice on any of these tips and if you would like to discuss your options for lower limb joint replacement please contact us.