Arthritis is a serious condition that not only causes aches and pains, but prevents the sufferer from moving his limbs to their full extent. It can cause pain in your hands, back, knee or hips and affect your ability to move. The following tips in this article will give some great advice for arthritis sufferers looking to manage their condition.

Any woman suffering with arthritis should think twice before donning those high heels. While high heels look nice, they aren’t so nice to your feet. The heels can aggravate arthritis symptoms as they increase the torque at the knee joints. Wear shoes you feel comfortable in and your legs should feel better. Your body will certainly notice the difference.

If your arthritis pain is affecting your sleep, try getting a warm bath with bath salts in the evening. The bath will put you in a relaxed state and reduce the severity of your pain, which will help you get to sleep and stay asleep.

For those with chronic arthritis that drive, you are eligible to receive a pass for handicapped parking. Many arthritis patients are not aware of this, so they end up parking further away than necessary, and enduring more pain than they need to.

Supplement your arthritis treatment with exercise. regular exercise helps you to be more flexible as well as stay fit. When you perform exercise that are low impact, they will help to prevent the inflammation of the joints, but be careful not to go overboard. If you begin to experience pain, you should immediately stop.

If you have arthritis, avoid high heels and other shoes that are not comfortable. Even if you do not suffer from arthritis in your legs or feet, uncomfortable shoes are bad for your posture. Buy some comfortable tennis shoes that provide support instead.

Smoking can decrease your flexibility and increase your arthritis symptoms. Quitting smoking is very difficult, but if you suffer from arthritis, it is something you must do for the sake of your health.

You don’t need to take a pain killer on a day your symptoms aren’t too bad. Pain killers only work for a short period of time and they are highly addictive. If your doctor has prescribed these to you and you are going to use them, make sure you use them as the doctor prescribed.

You need to alternate between cold and hot treatments. Switching between these two treatments will reduce swelling, and also help ease any pain that you are feeling. Realize that it’s easy to over-exercise your joints without even realizing it. However, limit the repetitiveness of the temperature-based treatments, excessive applications could make matters worse at a later time. Try to do these on the maximum capped at two times a day.

Learn what arthritis symptoms are most common and be on the lookout for them. This will benefit you in early diagnosis and treatment. If you suffer from these symptoms, speak with a physician so that they can learn about your type of arthritis and what remedies and management are available for it.

Plan your activities and tasks so that you don’t make your arthritis pain worse by putting unnecessary stress on your joints. If you are on your feet for long periods or lifting heavy objects, using protection and assist devices help to protect you from damaging fragile joints. If you further damage your joints, you will experience a lot of pain, and the most effective way to prevent this is to avoid strenuous activity.

For some temporary relief, try using a heating pad that is moist. If you are in serious pain that prevents you from functioning at a normal level, moist heating pads can be a wise investment. These pads provide you with quick relief, but you still need to see your doctor.

Listen to what your body is trying to tell you. Arthritis affects different people in different ways, so take note of the specific effects you are suffering. Analyze the signals your body sends, especially those that signal a flare-up is coming. If you are tired, stop what you are doing and rest.

Talk to your loved ones about your troubles with arthritis. Your friends and family will better understand how arthritis affects you, and even be able to provide advice. By them knowing what’s going on, they will be able to help you out where they can.

If there are those of you out there whom suffer from osteoarthritis, it might be a good idea for you to seak electrical stimulation treatment from your preferred doctor. Experts agree that this treatment can produce highly favorable results in terms of reducing the pain and inflammation associated with arthritis.

You must be pro-active while creating therapy for your arthritis. Since there are hundreds of kinds of arthritis, and millions of patients, the pain levels, symptoms and needs are boundless. This is why it’s important that you know and understand not only the signs and symptoms of arthritis, but also the many different treatment options that may help you relieve the pain.

If arthritis patients want to deal with their symptoms, it is important that they use this article’s advice. These tips will give you a good start on finding out what will and will not work to treat your arthritis.

Pay attention to the things you use on a daily basis. The right instruments can help you perform jobs with arthritis. Available products include specialized knives, can openers, attachments for zippers and shoe horns, each designed so an arthritis sufferer can do daily tasks without additional help. Add these helpful pieces of equipment to your wish list, and enjoy the freedom of independence.