No one likes to deal with pain, no matter what causes it. Dealing with fleeting or chronic arthritis pain can be frustrating, annoying, and endless. Inflamed joints cause arthritis, and there are over one hundred different kinds of arthritis. Some people suffer from arthritis pain more in cold weather than warm, but such is not always the case. Tissues involved in arthritis, from bone to tendon to ligaments and muscles, all feel the pain.
More than 40 million Americans alone suffer from the pain of various types of arthritis, and not all of them are older adults. Children and teenagers are also afflicted with arthritis pain, and it hits both genders equally. Pain can be mild, or throbbing in its intensity.
The sensation of pain may be felt differently from the fingers than it is felt in the knee, or another place in your body where body tissues connect to provide movable parts. Some people suffer from arthritis pain in the extremities, though many others also suffer arthritic pain in the spine as well as the hips.
The two most familiar types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, and in both cases, your body will most certainly let you know if something is different or wrong when it comes to your joints. The pain is caused by various sources, though swelling in any given joint area causes most arthritis pain, as well as the extent of damage to bones and joints caused by osteoarthritis. Everyone reacts to pain differently, just as different people have different pain thresholds.
Determining whether a pain is mild or severe is often left to the person feeling it. Such, cannot be measured due to the fact that many people feel and experience pain in different ways and severities. Pain may be described as mild, aching, radiating, throbbing or piercing.
Many times, people dealing with chronic arthritis pain grow tearful and frustrated with the constant and aching throb of pain in various joints, and medications to help relieve such pain are often prescribed. Many people rely on over the counter products such as an anti-inflammatory, though others need more pain relief than is offered through such remedies.
Many people use heat or cold compresses to ease arthritis pain, while others try massage or acupuncture. No matter which method you use to help provide relief from pain, always make sure that you notify your doctor of any herbs or supplements that may have an adverse reaction to anything he or she has prescribed for your pain.
Learning to live with pain is often a necessary aspect to the lives of many who have been diagnosed with any form of arthritis. Understanding what causes pain and ways to prevent or reduce it is one of the first steps to living with arthritis. What works for someone else might not work for you, so be willing to experiment and try options that will help you with your type of arthritis. Arthritis pain is a pain, but it can be dealt with, through proper teaching, exercise, medication and determination.