Managing Your Pain
Dealing with pain can be the hardest part of having
arthritis or a related condition, but you can learn to manage it and its impact on your
life.
Pain is your body's alarm system that tells you
something is wrong. When your body is injured, nerves in the affected area release
chemical signals. Other nerves send these signals to your brain, where they are recognized
as pain.
Pain often tells you that you need to act. For example, if
you touch a hot stove, pain signals from your brain make you pull your hand away. This
type of pain helps protect you.
Long-lasting pain, like the kind that accompanies arthritis
or fibromyalgia, is different. While it tells you that something is wrong, it often
isn't as easy to relieve. Managing this type of pain is essential to enhance your
quality of life and sense of well-being.
Causes of Pain
Arthritis pain is caused by several factors, such as:
- inflammation,
the process that causes the redness and swelling in your joints;
- damage to joint tissues,
which results from the disease process or from stress, injury or pressure on the joints;
- fatigue that results from the
disease process, which can make your pain seem worse and harder to handle;
- depression or stress,
which results from limited movement or no longer doing activities you enjoy.
Take Control
Arthritis may limit some of the things you can do, but it doesn't have to control
your life. One way to reduce your pain is to build your life around wellness, not pain or
sickness.
Your mind plays an important role in how you feel pain and
respond to illness. Thinking of pain as a signal to take positive action rather than an
ordeal you have to endure can help you learn to manage your pain. You can do this by:
- thinking positive thoughts,
- having a sense of humor,
- eating a balanced diet,
- exercising
regularly,
- enjoying activities
with friends and family.
It also means following your treatment plan, taking your
medication properly and practicing relaxation.
Take Medicines Wisely
Many different types of medicines can help control the pain and swelling of arthritis.
Your doctor may recommend over-the-counter and/or prescription medications depending on
your type of arthritis, how much pain you have and other factors.
For more detailed information on specific medicines,
request a free copy of the Arthritis Today Drug Guide
or other booklets on medicines.
Exercise Regularly
 Through exercise, you can improve your overall health and fitness, as well as your
arthritis symptoms. Regular appropriate exercise can help you manage pain, as well as keep
joints moving, strengthen muscles around joints, increase energy, improve sleep, control
weight and strengthen your heart.
A physical therapist, occupational therapist, exercise
physiologist or doctor can recommend an exercise program for you.
Your program should include range-of-motion exercises to
keep your joints flexible. It also should include general fitness exercise, such
as water exercise or walking. These exercises help keep your heart, lungs, bones and
muscles strong.
Protect Your Joints
Take care to do everyday tasks in ways that reduce stress on painful joints. Pay
attention to your body for signals that it needs to rest. Pace yourself by balancing
activity with rest. Avoid activities that hurt your joints. Use your largest and strongest
joints and muscles whenever possible.
Finally, ask for help when you need it. Family and friends
would rather help you than have you become tired or ill from doing too much.
Use Heat and Cold
Using heat and cold treatments can reduce the pain and stiffness of arthritis. Cold
packs numb the sore area and reduce inflammation and swelling. They are especially good
for joint pain caused by a flare. Heat relaxes your muscles and stimulates blood
circulation.
Get Enough Sleep
Sleep restores your energy so that you can better manage pain. It also rests your
joints to reduce pain and swelling.
Most people need seven to nine hours of sleep per night. If
you feel tired and achy after lunch every day, taking a brief nap (15 to 20 minutes) can
help restore your energy and spirits. If you have trouble sleeping at night, try relaxing
quietly in the afternoon rather than taking a nap.
Consider Massage
Massage brings warmth and relaxation to the painful area. You can massage your own
muscles or ask your doctor to recommend a professional who is trained to give massages.
When doing self-massage, stop if you feel any pain. And
don't massage a joint that is very swollen or painful.
If you have a professional massage, make sure the massage
therapist has experience working with people who have arthritis.
Practice Relaxation
People who are in pain experience both physical and emotional stress. Pain and stress have
similar effects on the body: muscles tighten, breathing becomes fast and shallow, and
heart rate and blood pressure go up. Relaxation can help you reverse these effects and
give you a sense of control and well-being that makes it easier to manage pain. Relaxation
involves learning ways to calm and control your body and mind. There is no best way to
learn how to relax, as long as you relax both your body and mind.
Consider Surgery
Most people with arthritis will never need joint surgery. But when
other treatment methods don't lessen the pain, or when you have major difficulty
moving and using your joints, surgery may be necessary. Types of surgery for arthritis
include arthroscopy, synovectomy and joint replacement.
Your Health-Care Team Can Help
Talk to your health-care team about ways to manage pain. This group of professionals
is coordinated by your doctor and may include:
- a nurse,
- an occupational or physical
therapist,
- an exercise physiologist,
- a social worker,
- a counselor,
- a psychologist,
- a pharmacist.
Your health-care professionals are trained to help you
learn pain management techniques and they may be able to recommend helpful services in
your area. Also, don't be afraid to suggest a pain management idea of your own.
Excerpted from the Arthritis Foundation brochure on
Managing Your Pain.
The Arthritis Foundation gratefully acknowledges Timothy
B. McCall, MD, Cambridge, Mass.; Robert L. Swezey, MD, Arthritis and Back Pain Center,
Santa Monica, Calif.; and Stephen Wegener, PhD, University of Virginia Health Sciences
Center, for their assistance with this information.
If you'd like more information about how you can manage
your pain:
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