If you have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis you might be wondering what type of treatment and care is available for you. Thankfully, there is a lot of osteoarthritis care out there for you and you can find the care that you need.

Start Early With Your Care

Osteoarthritis care is best when you can start the treatment early. The earlier you get an accurate diagnosis and get your treatment started the better your outlook can be. Early diagnosis and treatment can often mean less joint damage and less pain in the long run for you. Osteoarthritis care that starts when your diagnosis starts means that you can get started right away and hopefully stop some of the bad side effects of arthritis. Your doctor will probably recommend a myriad of treatments like medication, managing your weight, exercise, working with heat and or cold, and other methods that can protect your joints from further damage. Osteoarthritis care works when you start early.

Protecting Your Joints

One of the biggest parts of osteoarthritis care is to simply protect your joints. When you have arthritis you know that your joints are at danger. At this point, you know that your joints will be affected at some point. The best you can do is hope to stop that damage and stall it as much as possible. A key factor of osteoarthritis care is to just take care of yourself. Avoid any excess stress on your joints to keep them as safe as possible. If you need to carry something, try not to use the affected joints. In addition, try using some devices specifically designed to keep the weight off of certain joints. Use a dolly instead of carrying a large piece of furniture. Talk to your doctor about what your idea weight limit is for lifting. Using special arthritis care products can help to alleviate the pain associated with lifting and moving objects.

Keep Moving!

One of the best osteoarthritis care out there is to exercise and keep moving. Exercise helps to increase mood and keep excess weight down. Excess weight on your joints can cause extreme pain that is unnecessary if you can just stay healthy. Exercise can help increase your movement and stop arthritis from stealing the natural movement that your joints have. Make sure to talk to your doctor or physical therapist about what exercise program will work with your osteoarthritis care. Starting an exercise regimen outside of your doctor’s close supervision is not recommended for osteoarthritis care.