How the Nalu Medical Device Helps Knee, Hip, and Back Pain
If your knee, hip, or back pain won’t let up, it may be time to consider treatment using the Nalu™ medical device. Learn how this minimally invasive option helps.
Don't Let Arthritis Pain Stop You This Year: A Guide to Staying Active
Staying active can feel challenging or even impossible when you have arthritis. At the same time, appropriate activity can help ease or prevent arthritis pain. This doesn’t have to be a bothersome catch-22.
Our expert team at Houston Pain Specialists, led by board-certified pain management specialist Hui Kang, MD, treats chronic joint pain conditions, including osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, to help you lead a full and comfortable life.
Keep reading to learn smart ways to stay active while managing your arthritis.
How arthritis causes pain
More than 100 types of arthritis exist, all of which cause joint pain. Depending on the type you have, your pain may stem from joint inflammation, cartilage breakdown, immune system misfirings, chemical imbalances, or nerve irritation.
The pain can vary from mild aches to severe and sharp pangs that seldom let up without treatment.
Osteoarthritis, the most common form, causes pain due to the wear-and-tear of a joint. With rheumatoid arthritis, your immune system attacks the lining of multiple or many joints. Gout causes joint pain, often in a big toe, due to uric acid buildup.
How activity helps arthritis
Physical activity — whether you’re walking around your home, gardening, dancing, or working out — can benefit your health by:
- Improving blood flow to your joints
- Improving muscle strength for better support
- Improving your balance
- Keeping your weight within a healthy range
- Lowering your risk for injury
- Reducing stiffness
- Supporting immune function
These attributes help protect you from additional pain from spills, make exercise and physical therapy easier, and lower overall pain levels. Routine exercise also makes way for restful sleep, which promotes positive moods and energy levels and guards against inflammation.
Staying active while protecting your joints
You definitely don’t want to make your arthritis pain worse by overexercising, using poor form or equipment, or skimping on protective measures.
Practices that support or protect your arthritic joints during activity include:
- Avoiding activity on slippery surfaces
- Gradually easing into increased or more intense exercise
- Gently warming your body up before stretching
- Sticking to low-impact activities, such as biking, swimming, and walking
- Stopping an activity if you experience pain or injury
- Using an assistive device, such as a brace or walker, if needed
- Wearing orthopedic shoes that fit well
You can also prevent joint pain by applying a heat pack before exercise and an ice pack afterward. Meanwhile, always follow your medically approved activity plan.
To learn more about staying active with arthritis or get started with compassionate support, contact our Houston, Texas, office today to schedule an appointment. We offer a range of arthritis treatments including steroid, facet joint, and lubrication injections.
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