| Massage: Massage relieves
tension and provides relaxation to the affected area. Deep kneading
and gentle circular motions may be appropriate for different
individuals and for different types of aches. For some area
of the body such as hands, knees, feet and neck, self-massage
may be possible but for other areas assistance of a professional
masseur may be necessary.
Rest and Exercise: while rest can relieve the stress
on affected joints, too much rest can cause further loss of
joints and muscles. The physicians will help to work out a
good balance between rest and exercise, so that too much rest
does not weaken you and too much exercise does not make you
overly tired.
 
Often in cases of osteo arthritis, rest is helpful at times
when overuse of joints has caused discomfort. Also joint pain
due to arthritis can be relieved by techniques such as splinting,
by which the unintentional motion of an inflamed joint is
limited, resulting in pain relief.
How much and what type of exercise you should do depends
on which joints are affected, the kind of arthritis you have,
how severe the pain or inflammation is and your overall health.
Some stiffness and weakness of arthritis can be relieved with
mild exercise. For some individuals, maintaining joint mobility
and muscle strength can help prevent some of the crippling
deformities caused by arthritis.
|
