5 Ways To Treat Your Arthritis Today To Feel Better Tomorrow

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

arthritis painArthritis is one of the most common medical issues, having been diagnosed in roughly 1 in every 4 adults. Because it’s so common, many people assume that arthritis-related symptoms are simply something that they have to get used to dealing with, but that simply isn’t true. And while you can’t turn back the clock and restore your joint health to how it felt decades ago, you can improve your symptoms and slow or stop the progression of joint degeneration.

Best of all, treatment is oftentimes pretty simple and only involves a few adjustments to your daily life. With that in mind, we highlight five things you can do to treat your arthritis today so that you’ll feel better tomorrow.

Daily Treatments For Arthritis

Arthritis is a degenerative condition that can be caused by natural factors like normal wear and tear and aging, or it can be exacerbated by injuries and illnesses. However, you can fight back against your arthritis by doing these five things regularly:

1. Exercise – Perhaps the best thing you can do to improve the health of your joints and help them become stronger for tomorrow is exercise. Exercise strengthens your joints and the soft tissues that help to keep them stable. Pressure on your joints has less of a degenerative impact on the joint when the supportive structures are stronger and better able to disperse this stress. Strive to get at least 30-45 minutes of exercise each day, or at least 3-4 times a week.

2. Eat Right – Your diet can also play a role in arthritis symptom prevalence. Foods that are high in sugar or fat tend to be pro-inflammatory, and this inflammation can cause problems for you joints. Avoid these pro-inflammatory foods and reach for more fruits and vegetables, and you may find that you are experiencing fewer arthritis symptoms.

3. Use Ice And Heat To Your Advantage – Ice and heat can help to improve your circulation or prevent swelling and inflammation, so use their powers wisely! Ice your arthritic joints after exercise or periods of extended activity to help keep swelling and inflammation at bay, or use a heating pad if your joints are feeling stiff or uncomfortable.

4. Physical Therapy – Physical therapy is very similar to exercise, but it can be even more beneficial at controlling symptoms because you can target specific areas. Your pain management specialist or a physical therapist can help set you up with some home-based therapy exercises to perform each day or when symptoms begin to help you get more control over your arthritis. Physical therapy can be both a treatment and prevention technique, so don’t underestimate the power of connecting with a physical therapist!

5. Mind Your Posture – Finally, it’s important to be mindful of your posture each and every day. When your body is out of alignment, you’re putting excessive stress on certain areas, including pivotal joints. Poor posture or body mechanics can cause problems for your facet joints in your spine, the joints in your wrists or put excess pressure on your knees. Improve your posture each day, and your joints will thank you for it!

If you do these things each day, and you connect with a pain management specialist like Dr. Cohn, we’re confident that you’ll notice an improvement in your arthritic symptoms! For more information, or for help with a different pain issue, give our office a call today at (952) 738-4580.

Will My Chronic Pain Get Worse Over Time?

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

post-traumatic painA chronic pain condition can make life uncomfortable, and oftentimes it leaves patients wondering if things will ever get better. A recent study out of Europe found that patients who had chronic pain in their forties were more likely to have chronic pain and other health issues later in life, which leads many to assume that chronic pain conditions will get worse over time.

But is that the truth? Are you really stuck with pain for the rest of your life, or is there something you can do about it? Below we explain why your chronic pain doesn’t have to get worse as time goes on.

Will My Pain Condition Improve?

As we’ve said numerous times on this blog, the following is just general advice. Chronic pain is both complex and highly individualized, so we can’t sit here and say that your condition will certainly get better or get worse depending on the treatment route you pursue. That being said, many patients don’t realize how much control they have when it comes to managing their chronic pain condition on a long-term basis. While chronic pain can oftentimes feel out of control, there are steps you can take each day to help you find more control over your condition down the road.

So we’ll start by saying that chronic pain is typically a health issue that will continue to worsen as you get older if you do nothing to treat the problem. While sometimes rest or activity avoidance can help you overcome small issues like a muscle strain or a headache, you’re not going to be able to do nothing and watch your chronic pain condition disappear. Chronic pain suggests that there is an underlying issue, and if you keep doing the same things that led to your condition in the first place, things won’t get better, and oftentimes they will only get worse.

That said, the opposite is also typically true, and that’s wonderful news for chronic pain sufferers. Targeted active treatments can oftentimes alleviate symptoms, calm inflammation, slow natural degeneration and improve your overall physical function. It’s not always easy, and you’re not always going to enjoy doing your physical therapy exercises or watching what foods and drinks you put in your body, but it’s these little daily wins that will make you stronger in the long run.

Another way to greatly improve your likelihood of overcoming your chronic pain condition is to connect with a specialist who can give you the individualized attention and advice that you’d benefit from. Chronic pain can be a very isolating health condition, and that can lead a person to withdraw from their friends, family and even their healthcare professionals. You need to know that you are not a burden and there are plenty of people out there who want to see you overcome your chronic pain issue. We rely on professionals for a number of different aspects of life, whether that’s to change a faulty piston on our vehicle or to install a new garage door, so don’t feel like you need to take on your complex medical challenges by yourself. Connect with a specialist and let them put their expertise to work for you.

And finally, many patients find it helpful if they acknowledge the fact that recovery is going to take some work. You’re not going to be able to take a magic pill or lay in bed for two weeks and all of a sudden you’re feel better. You’re going to have to put in the work with active interventions, like daily exercise, regular physical therapy, posture improvements, weight loss and more. As we mentioned above, it won’t always be fun, but working towards these goals is way more fun than living each day with chronic pain.

Know that your pain doesn’t have to remain consistent or worsen as you get older. You have a say in your chronic pain story, and we’re here to help in any way we can. For more information, or to get started on your journey to become free from chronic pain, reach out to Dr. Cohn and his team today at (952) 738-4580.

Halloween, Sugar And Chronic Pain

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

sugar chronic painHalloween is only a few days away, and that means soon you’ll be handing out candy or sifting through your child’s basket when they leave it on the counter. Indulging your sweet tooth every once in a while typically won’t leave you any worse for the wear, but overeating sugary sweets can certainly cause problems, especially if you’re dealing with a chronic pain condition. Below, with the Halloween holiday in mind, we take a closer look at how sugar can make your chronic pain worse.

Chronic Pain And Sugar

Sugar can complicate a number of different chronic pain issues, and here’s how:

Pro-Inflammatory – Sugar is a pro-inflammatory within the body. When we eat sugar, our bodies release insulin and stress hormones. These stress hormones can then elicit an inflammatory response from our body. During an inflammatory response, white blood cells can accumulate in our joints, leading to swelling, redness, tenderness and loss of flexibility. This swelling can also end up compressing nerves that could be the source of your chronic pain.

Chronic Inflammation – Not only can sugar cause an inflammatory response within your body that can lead to chronic pain, but excess sugar consumption can also lead to chronic inflammation throughout your body. Acute inflammation can cause discomfort in the moment, but if your body starts to crave sugar and you regularly give into these urges, inflammation can start to become chronic as sugar becomes a normal part of your diet. Controlling your sugar intake is key to combating chronic inflammation.

Impacted Immune Response – Research has shown that excess sugar consumption can lead to a suppressed immune system response as yeast and bacteria feed off this sugar. An overactive immune response can cause a number of issues, but so too can a suppressed immune system. If your body can’t fight off infections and bacteria, you can become sick more often, which can lead to inflammation and joint pain.

Increased Stress – Sugar can end up raising your blood pressure level, which causes the body to pump out adrenaline and epinephrine. These hormones can be helpful during physical activity, but they can also make you feel more irritable and anxious. Anxiety and mental anguish can increase pain sensations, making your chronic pain feel worse.

The good news is that if you’re mindful about your sugar consumption, you can prevent the compound from complicating your chronic pain issues. That can be particularly challenging around Halloween, but do what you can to limit your intake and remove sweet treats from the home once the holiday is in the rearview mirror! The longer that candy sits on the kitchen counter, the easier it is to grab a piece or two every time you walk by. Limit your sugar intake, get regular exercise and drink plenty of water, and we’re confident that you can keep sugar from causing problems for your chronic pain condition.

And for more hands-on help with a chronic pain issue, reach out to Dr. Cohn and his team today at 952-738-4580.

Walking Can Significantly Reduce Chronic Knee Pain Risk

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

knee painJoint issues are a common source of pain for millions of Americans, and oftentimes it’s the knee joints where this degeneration and discomfort is most obvious. Knee pain can make every step a burden, which is why preventing knee joint deterioration is key. According to a new study, you may be able to do just that by taking a few more steps each day.

According to a new study by researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine, walking may be a powerful way to prevent and treat osteoarthritis of the knee. For the study, researchers tracked more than 1,200 individuals aged 50 or older with knee osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis. Participants self-reported their walking habits and frequency, which helped researchers classify 73 percent of the group as walkers and 27 percent as non-walkers.

Walking And The Impact On Your Knees

After looking closer at the medical data between the two groups, researchers found that those who walked for exercise had a 40 percent decrease in the likelihood of experiencing frequent knee pain. X-rays were also used to assess for the progression and severity of osteoarthritis in the knees, and these images showed that walkers were less likely to experience medial joint space narrowing, which is one way to measure arthritis progression. Researchers concluded that going for regular walks could help to both control knee pain and slow to further osteoarthritis degeneration.

“These findings are particularly useful for people who have radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis but don’t have pain every day in their knees,” said first author of the paper Dr. Grace Hsiao-Wei Lo. “This study supports the possibility that walking for exercise can help to prevent the onset of daily knee pain. It might also slow down the worsening of damage inside the joint from osteoarthritis.”

Walking is such a simple act that can be performed almost anywhere, and it’s not overly stressful on the body. While it may not be able to cure you of your arthritis, it can help to maintain function in your knee, aid in pain control and slow continued arthritis progression, all of which are important for your quality of life.

So if you’re dealing with chronic knee pain, know that you don’t need to pursue an intense workout at the gym to help combat your symptoms and make your knee healthier for tomorrow. Simply lace up your walking shoes and walk for 30-45 minutes a day! And if you’re still looking for help overcoming a chronic pain issue, make sure you reach out to Dr. Cohn and his team. For more information, or for help with a different pain management issue, give our team a call today at (952) 738-4580.

Painkillers May Not Be Necessary After Some Knee And Shoulder Surgeries

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

painkillersMedical researchers are always looking for more information about how they can help patients recover following a surgical procedure. The prevailing wisdom is that opioids and painkillers are needed to help patients manage discomfort following arthroscopic surgery, but new research found that these strong medications may not be necessary.

For the most recent study, researchers wanted to get a better understanding of how necessary opioid pain relievers were after arthroscopic knee or shoulder surgery compared to non-opioid pain relievers. To do this, they looked at 193 patients who underwent outpatient surgery on their shoulders or knees at three different participating hospitals. Roughly half of the patients received opioids for postoperative pain, while the other half received naproxen and acetaminophen for pain, as well as pantoprazole, a medication normally used to treat heartburn and acid reflux. Both groups had access to emergency opioids if needed to aid in pain relief.

Post-Op Pain Control

After six weeks, patients in the opioid group had used an average of 72.6 mg of opioids, compared to 8.4 mg in the opioid-sparing group. Two patients in the opioid-sparing group asked for opioid medication after their discharge. Researchers noted that there was no significant differences in patient satisfaction, pain levels or adverse events when comparing the two groups.

“This study clearly shows that many of these surgical patients can be treated safely without opioid medications in a select population,” said lead author Olufemi Ayeni, MD, a professor of surgery at McMaster and an orthopedic surgeon at Hamilton Health Sciences. “Furthermore, by reducing the number of opioids prescribed, we can collectively reduce the development of a reservoir of unused medications that can cause harm to many in society.”

More than one million arthroscopic surgeries are performed in the United States every year, and if it turns out that many of these patients can manage post-op discomfort without the need for potentially addictive and dangerous opioids, that’s a huge win. In fact, doctors have already started to make this shift. Data shows that since 2017, the number of opioid pills prescribed to patients undergoing minimally invasive surgeries has fallen by 50 percent, although that may be driven by a number of factors.

As we’ve always said on the blog, opioids can absolutely play a crucial role in a pain management program, but we have to be careful about becoming over-reliant on them. Opioids are never intended to be a long-term option, but they can certainly make it easier to participate in a rehab program after injury or surgery. Make sure that you take full advantage of the benefits of opioids when you need them most, and odds are you’ll find that you need them less and less.

For more information about appropriately managing pain after an injury or surgery, or for help overcoming a chronic condition, reach out to Dr. Cohn and his team today at (952) 738-4580.