Pain - Chronic

How Often Should People With Arthritis Exercise?

• Range-of-motion exercises can be done daily and should be done at least every other day.

• Strengthening exercises should be done every other day unless you have severe pain or swelling in your joints.

• Endurance exercises should be done for 20 to 30 minutes three times a week unless you have severe pain or swelling in your joints. According to the American College of Rheumatology, 20- to 30-minute exercise routines can be performed in increments of 10 minutes over the course of a day.

While people who have not exercised for a while may suffer some occasion discomfort when they initiate an exercise program, this discomfort may be more severe and require more intensive intervention for those people who have some form of arthritis. Yet, an exercise program is an integral part of the treatment plan for those people affected by arthritis, so what can they do?

What Are Some Pain Relief Methods for People With Arthritis?

A new study published June 15, 2006, in the European Journal of Pain found that female patients with painful long-term conditions, such as arthritis and back pain, suffer from higher level of depression and report greater disability than men in the same situation.

Can you say the names below five times quickly?

• Camphora molmol,

• C frutescens,

• Salix alba,

• Maleluca alternifolia,

• Angelica sinensis,

• Aloe vera,

• Thymus officinalis,

“My back hurts so much that I can hardly get out of bed on some days. I have tried everything; including, Bufferin, Tylenol, heat, music, et al; and nothing works. What about Morphine? Would this help me?”

The Mayo Clinic offers 10 pain management strategies:

• Follow through on your goals
• Monitor your progress
• Write out a contract
• Plan your day
• Control your surroundings

The idea of pain management is to get maximum relief and restore as much functioning as possible.

According to Dr. Seddon Savage, M.D., a pain specialist on the faculty of Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, N.H., there are times when it's impossible to eliminate pain. "The goal of pain management is to provide as much pain relief as possible and improve functioning," he says.

Pain.com has compiled a listing of over 3,000 pain management specialists and clinics around the world.

This link takes you to Pain.com's home page. Scroll down and look on the right side of the page for the Pain Clinics heading.

Unless there is a known underlying cause for the pelvic pain, treatment is concentrated on relieving the pain. Treatment may consist of: over-the-counter pain relievers or prescription pain remedies, hormone treatments, antibiotics, antidepressants, physical therapy, counseling, and other therapies.

Although chiropractors and osteopaths use spinal manipulation to treat bac and neck pain, a study to be pulished in May says that it is not better than conventional treatments.