If you're one of the 42 million Americans suffering from some form of arthritis, you may be seeking relief from hip and back pain. Understanding the different treatments and medications to provide relief from arthritis hip and back pain will help you make a more informed decision, and one that will benefit you the most.

Lifestyle Changes

Arthritis causes pain in the joints, which can fluctuate from mild to debilitating. Unfortunately, there is no cure for arthritis, so treatment focuses on pain management and slowing down the degeneration of the joints. Many patients with arthritis need relief from hip and back pain and there are several options to consider.

Lifestyle changes may offer genuine relief from hip and back pain caused by arthritis. The best way to make lifestyle changes is to first listen to what your body is telling you. Keep a pain journal or simply write down some notes about the severity of your pain, what you ate that day or what you were doing when you started to feel discomfort. You may be surprised to find that your pain increases after eating a certain food or decreases after a full night's sleep. In fact, getting adequate rest and avoiding certain foods may begin to give you immediate relief from the nagging hip and back pain of arthritis.

Daily exercise, especially walking or swimming, can improve the muscle tone, while losing weight removes unnecessary strain on the joints. Of course, it's always recommended that you first discuss any exercise or weight loss plan with your doctor. You may want to consider physical therapy to get relief from the hip and back pain of arthritis. A program like this would be designed to address your specific needs, provide pain management and increase your mobility and range of motion.

Medications for Relief

Sometimes, lifestyle changes, exercise and even physical therapy won't give you the needed relief from the hip and back pain of arthritis. Fortunately, there is a wide range of nonprescription and prescription drugs to help arthritis sufferers. Acetaminophen is an effective pain reliever, but doesn't address the inflammation that is usually the cause of arthritis pain. Products that contain ibuprofen reduce both the pain and inflammation, but with long term use, they may negatively affect the renal or gastrointestinal system. Your doctor may prescribe medication in the class called disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). This type of medication suppresses the overactive response of the immune system and may help people with certain types of arthritis. Another class of drugs is called biologic response modifiers (BRMs), which inhibit the production of protein substances, cytokines, believed to be contributors of the inflammation.

Getting relief from the hip and back pain of arthritis is possible, and may best be achieved by a combination of lifestyle changes and medications.