4 Lifestyle Changes That Can Relieve Arthritis Pain

Your joints have multiple moving parts, are constantly active, and withstand considerable weight and pressure, so they’re naturally susceptible to occasional aches and pains from overuse, injury, and inflammation. But arthritis is different.

Arthritis is an incurable, chronic, progressive disease that degrades and stiffens your joints, causing pain and reduced mobility. That’s the bad news.

The good news is that Dr. Dinash Yanamadula, our board-certified specialist at Princeton Pain & Spine Institute, can relieve your arthritis-related pain and stiffness with advanced treatments like joint injections, viscosupplementation, and physical therapy. He helps folks throughout Lawrenceville and Edgewater, New Jersey, reduce their arthritis symptoms and regain functionality. 

Although these treatments can help, they work best when coupled with the following lifestyle habits. Keep reading to learn what Dr. Yanamadula says about these essential practices for everyone with arthritis.

What you need to know about arthritis

Arthritis isn’t a single condition; it’s an umbrella term that describes over 100 unique types of joint diseases that affect more than 92 million people in the United States. The most common types include osteoarthritis, often called wear-and-tear arthritis; rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease that attacks your joints; gout, which causes calcium to crystalize within your joints; and psoriatic arthritis, related to the skin condition psoriasis. 

According to the Arthritis Foundation, arthritis results in some dismal statistics:

• Arthritis affects 1 in 4 adults
• Researchers project a 49% increase in arthritis cases by 2040
• Up to 85% of people have low back pain due to arthritis
• Arthritis is the most come chronic condition linked to opioid use
• Nearly half of all diabetics also have arthritis
• People with arthritis are twice as likely to develop anxiety and depression 
• Arthritis is responsible for 172 million missed work days and $164 billion in lost wages

You can’t change the fact that you have arthritis, but you can control how it affects your life. Dr. Yanamadula can help you manage your symptoms and beat these statistics, and he starts by helping you help yourself.

Here are four key ways to directly address arthritis pain by changing your habits. 

1. Rest

This may seem like a no-brainer because your instinctive reaction to pain is to stop moving, but rest is more than the cessation of activity. True rest encompasses deep, restorative sleep and mindful time off from mental, emotional, and physical stress. 

You must protect your sleep quality when you have arthritis. Establish a sleep routine where you go to bed and wake up at the same time each day and log in at least seven hours. 

When you experience an arthritis flare-up, allow yourself to take it easy and relax. Prayer, meditation, positive imagery, and deep-breathing exercises can reduce stress and inflammation. 

2. Move more

We just told you that rest is good for arthritis, and now we’re telling you to get up and move, but these aren’t contradictory statements — they’re complementary.

Rest is essential for restoring your health, and it’s definitely the answer when you have an acute arthritis flare-up, but staying sedentary worsens arthritis pain. Movement lubricates your joints and strengthens the supporting muscular structure, paving the way for a fuller range of motion and less stiffness. 

Studies show that regular physical activity can reduce your arthritis pain by about 40%. Dr. Yanamadula can recommend arthritis-friendly exercises that suit your age, weight, and lifestyle.

3. Pay attention to nutrition

Since all types of arthritis involve inflammation, reducing inflammation is the key to tamping down the pain. One of the simplest, most natural ways to do this is by controlling your diet, eating more anti-inflammatory foods and avoiding inflammation-causing foods. 

Anti-inflammatory foods

What you eat makes a difference in your fight against arthritis. The following foods are arthritis-friendly.

• Fish like salmon, tuna, anchovies, and sardines contain omega-3s that reduce joint swelling, pain, and stiffness
• Nuts and seeds like almonds, walnuts, and pistachios fight inflammation
• Olive oil contains healthy fat and enzymes that act like ibuprofen
• Beans contain phytonutrients that reduce inflammation
• Fruits and vegetables have antioxidants and vitamin C that prevent inflammation

In short, this outlines the Mediterranean Diet, which not only reduces inflammation and arthritis pain but also supports healthy blood pressure and heart function.

Inflammation-causing foods

Some foods worsen arthritis symptoms by increasing inflammation.

• High fructose corn syrup
• Sugar
• Fried foods
• Refined carbohydrates (pasta, white bread, rice)
• Processed foods (sausages, bacon, ham)

Cooking your meat at a very high temperature can also lead to inflammation by producing advanced glycation end products (AGEs). 

4. Quit bad habits

One of the best inflammation-fighting habits you can adopt is quitting bad habits. If you’re guilty of the following vices, you can significantly reduce your arthritis symptoms by turning over a new leaf.

• Smoking
• Excess alcohol consumption
• Inadequate sleep
• Overeating
• Junk food

Do yourself a favor and cut out these habits — your joints will thank you.

To learn more about arthritis and how Dr. Yanamadula can help you, contact us online or by phone to schedule an appointment soon.