Some food remedies include eating cherries, garlic, parsley, green beans, celery, pineapple, apple cider vinegar, and gin soaked raisins. Still others recommend cod liver oil or eating any oily fish. If you can't eat these on a regular basis, there are supplements available for almost every type of food item. There are herbs that help to relieve pain and herbs that control inflammation. Some of them are ginger and turmeric.
Medication/Treatment options:
For a small amount of inflammation and/or just pain relief
- analgesics or acetaminophen (Tylenol) - no relief for inflammation
- aspirin - for mild pain with some swelling relief
- NSAID (ibuprofen) - for a little more pain and inflammation relief
Heat
Whether to use heat or cold for arthritis pain treatment depends on the type of arthritis and should be discussed with your doctor or physical therapist. Moist heat, such as a warm bath or shower, or dry heat, such as a heating pad, placed on the painful area for about 15 minutes may help relieve the pain temporarily. Just keeping the painful area of your body warm with some type of wrap or warm clothing will keep the pain down if you are sensitive to cold. I recommend "arm or knee warmers" as pictured here.
Ice
An ice pack wrapped in a towel and placed on the sore area of your body for about 15 minutes may help to reduce swelling and relieve pain. If you have poor circulation, do not use cold packs.
Joint protection
Using a splint or a brace to allow joints to rest and protect them from stress of movement and exertion may be helpful. Again, your doctor or therapist can make suggestions.
Alternative treatments
Some alternative treatments include acupuncture, massage, magnetic treatments, yoga, meditation, and prayer. Results will vary by individual.
Trans cutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
TENS units are small appliances that direct mild electric pulses to nerve endings beneath the skin when attached to the painful area. They may relieve some arthritis pain. TENS seems to work by blocking pain messages to the brain and by softening the pain.
Exercise
Exercise doesn't sound like a logical treatment for arthritis, but the reality is it is very effective in the long term prevention of accelerating pain. Regular exercise in moderation is most effective. I would recommend walking at a brisk pace, or if you can't do that, just a regular pace for at least 10 to 30 minutes a day. Also, weight training with light to moderate weights will strengthen your muscles and nourish the cartilage in your joints to help prevent further damage and deterioration. Make sure it is done regularly for fairly short periods of time, such as daily, or at least 3 times a week. You won't notice the difference immediately, but you will notice it in time.
Some topical treatments available per the Mayo Clinic:
Topical painkillers come as gels, creams, lotions or patches that are applied directly to the skin over your aching joints. Three types of over-the-counter joint creams are sometimes used for arthritis pain relief, including:
Applications that make skin feel hot or cold. Doctors call these products counter irritants because they contain ingredients that irritate your skin. Ingredients such as menthol, oil of wintergreen or eucalyptus oil produce a sensation of hot or cold that distracts you from your arthritis pain, giving you temporary arthritis pain relief.
Examples: Bio freeze, Flexall and Icy Hot
There are also aspirin-like pain rubs. Some products, called topical analgesics, contain salicylates, the same ingredients that give aspirin its pain relieving quality. In addition to offering arthritis pain relief, these products may reduce joint inflammation as they're absorbed into the skin.
Examples: Ben gay, Aspercreme, Mobisyl and Sportscreme. If you are allergic to aspirin or are taking blood thinners, check with your doctor before using topical medications that contain salicylates.
Numbing creams made from chili pepper seeds is another treatment. The seeds contain a compound called capsaicin, which causes the burning sensation you associate with peppers. Creams made with capsaicin are most effective for arthritis pain in joints close to the skin surface, such as your fingers, knees and elbows. Capsaicin creams may need to be applied regularly for one or two weeks before arthritis pain relief may occur.
Examples: Capzasin and Zostrix.
Some products contain a combination of these three types of arthritis pain relief methods.
Prescription pain gels and patches. A prescription gel containing the non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) diclofenac may provide some pain relief for people with osteoarthritis in their hands, wrists, elbows, feet, ankles or knees. Diclofenac gel is massaged into the skin around your affected joint four times a day. Side effects may include rash and redness where you apply the gel. NSAIDs, such as diclofenac gel, carry a risk of stomach bleeding and heart problems, including heart attack. Diclofenac is also available as a patch. Patches are applied to the skin and used twice daily. Patches aren't safe for people with chronic kidney diseases.
In some cases, doctors may prescribe lidocaine patches for joint pain. Patches are placed on your skin over the painful joint for 12 hours at a time. The lidocaine numbs the area.
Do over-the-counter topical pain medications offer arthritis pain relief? They may offer temporary relief from arthritis pain. Limited studies using these products showed reductions in pain. But studies have been small and poorly designed, making them less reliable.
These topical preparations aren't intended to take the place of your prescription arthritis medication and there's no evidence to suggest they can be helpful when used long term. However, you might find temporary relief from arthritis pain flares by using topical pain medications. Relying on these topical preparations more often may indicate that your arthritis is worsening or that medication prescribed by your doctor isn't working. Tell your doctor if your arthritis pain isn't being controlled.
Note: If heat or just some warmth relieves your discomfort, wearing a simple "warmer" just as these shown to the left may help you out. They help me a lot. The topical pain spray is natural and works very well for pain for both me and my husband. It's healthier to use a topical product, if it works for you, rather than medication. If your pain and stiffness is more severe, try using the TENS unit.
