Manage Pain You don't want pain to take over your life. Try eight natural pain therapies that can help you feel better. Talk to your doctor about the best medications to ease your pain. Address the Emotional Side Coping with a new diagnosis and the pain and limitations that may come can wear on you emotionally.

Learn more about the emotional effects so you can better manage them. Tackle Fatigue Fatigue can be a one-two punch. It can be caused by your disease or the daily stress of living with a chronic disease. There are simple ways to manage fatigue. Improve Sleep Pain and sleep problems can go hand in hand.

Pain makes it hard to sleep. Poor sleep can worsen pain. Use these tips for sleeping better to help you get the rest you need. Get Moving It maybe the last thing you want to do when you're in pain, but exercise will help. It strengthens muscles that support your painful joints, keeps joints mobile, helps you get restful sleep, boosts mood and helps you lose excess pounds that add stress to joints.

See how you can start an exercise program. Balance Activity With Rest Rest is important when your disease is active, and your joints feel painful, swollen or stiff.

Lighten your schedule and obligations and ask for help when you need to. Pace yourself throughout your day and take breaks when you can. Get some tips for pacing yourself. Eat a Balanced Diet Healthy eating plus exercise can help you reach and keep a healthy weight. Add anti-inflammatory foods that are rich in antioxidants to help control inflammation.

Discover what makes the ultimate arthritis diet. Quick Links Managing Pain Treatment Nutrition Exercise Emotional Well-being Daily Living. Arthritis Foundation. Natural relief for arthritis pain. Managing chronic pain: How psychologists help with pain management. American Psychological Association.

Benefits of exercise for osteoarthritis. ACPA resource guide to chronic pain management: An integrated guide to medical, interventional, behavioral, pharmacologic and rehabilitation therapies, edition.

American Chronic Pain Association. Tips for managing chronic pain. Smoking and musculoskeletal health. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Products and Services Bath Safety and Mobility Products A Book: Mayo Clinic on Healthy Aging A Book: Mayo Clinic Guide to Arthritis.

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Disturbed sleep can affect your health and make the symptoms of arthritis worse. Find out how arthritis can affect sleep and how to improve your sleep pattern. Discover the latest news, guidance, resources and videos about MSK conditions and join our network for updates aimed at healthcare professionals and students.

Call our helpline - Our advisors aim to bring all of the information and advice about arthritis to provide tailored support for you. Call us for free today Monday-Friday, 9am-8pm.

Order or download from our range of free patient information booklets and resources for healthcare professionals and students.

Versus Arthritis About arthritis Managing your symptoms. Managing your symptoms. Find out about managing your symptoms, and how exercise, a healthy diet can help you. Managing your pain. If climbing stairs causes you pain, avoid them if you can or take one step at a time. Applying both cold and heat to a sore joint can be effective ways to reduce pain.

Heat is good to relax the muscles around a joint. If the joint is hot and swollen, opt for a cold pack. Place a cloth or thin towel between the cold pack and your skin.

An aid such as a cane, crutch, or even a walker can relieve pressure on your knee or hip. Always use the cane or crutch in the opposite hand of the affected joint.

For example, if you have an arthritic right hip or knee, hold the cane or crutch in the left hand. Keeping your weight down can decrease the stress on your joints. In fact, activities such as getting in and out of a chair or going up and down the stairs can place approximately five times more body weight across the hip and knee joints.

Make sure rugs are secured to the floor, maintain good lighting and be careful if you get out of bed in the middle of the night. Grab bars in the bathroom and other devices can make it easier to perform activities of daily living with an arthritic joint.

Try meditation, mindful breathing or progressive relaxation to help relieve stress and feel better. Geoffrey H. Westrich, MD. Westrich is the Research Director of the Adult Reconstruction and Joint Replacement Service at HSS specializing in hip and knee replacement surgery. Find more exercises and tips from Dr.

Westrich on how to care for arthritic knees. Move Better Feel Better Home Health. Here are 10 recommendations from Dr. Westrich on how to manage arthritis pain at home.

Self-paced guides to help you control pain. Pain Treatments and Medications Learn about drug-free treatments as well as medication options.

Learn about drug-free treatments as well as medication options. Support Groups and Mental Wellness Resources Peer-support groups and resources across Canada. Peer-support groups and resources across Canada.

For example, straight leg raises from a lying down or sitting position are a simple exercise that most people can do to strengthen the muscles around their knee. Avoid cardiovascular exercise that places a lot of stress on your joints.

Non-impact options include riding a stationary exercise bicycle and walking. The next time you want to go on a cleaning spree or declutter a closet, consider the impact on your joints.

One workaround is to perform small tasks throughout the week rather than doing it all in one day. If climbing stairs causes you pain, avoid them if you can or take one step at a time.

Applying both cold and heat to a sore joint can be effective ways to reduce pain. Heat is good to relax the muscles around a joint. If the joint is hot and swollen, opt for a cold pack. Place a cloth or thin towel between the cold pack and your skin.

An aid such as a cane, crutch, or even a walker can relieve pressure on your knee or hip. Always use the cane or crutch in the opposite hand of the affected joint.

For example, if you have an arthritic right hip or knee, hold the cane or crutch in the left hand. Keeping your weight down can decrease the stress on your joints.

Emotional effects of arthritis can have as much impact as physical symptoms. Find out what support is available and what you can do for yourself.

Arthritis can damage joints and cause them to change shape. Find out about joint protection and how you can reduce the strain on your joints. Disturbed sleep can affect your health and make the symptoms of arthritis worse. Find out how arthritis can affect sleep and how to improve your sleep pattern.

Discover the latest news, guidance, resources and videos about MSK conditions and join our network for updates aimed at healthcare professionals and students.