Staying active, managing your weight, and making dietary changes are some natural ways to relax. Some alternative relaxation techniques for elderly arthritis can also help by improving flexibility or reducing stiffness and swelling. Arthritis refers to a wide range of conditions that involve pain and inflammation in the joints. There are two very common types of arthritis. These two types are: osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis is one of the causes of foot pain in the elderly.
Osteoarthritis is mainly caused when the wear and tear of cartilage causes bones to rub against each other, leading to friction, damage, and inflammation. Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic disease that causes symptoms throughout the body. This disease is an autoimmune disorder and occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy joint tissue. Doctors can prescribe medication to relieve arthritis pain, but they often also recommend natural methods. In this article from humanhealthmag, we will learn more about arthritis pain relief methods.
What Is the Most Common Type of Arthritis in the Elderly?
Before introducing relaxation techniques for elderly arthritis, we want to know which type of arthritis is most common in elderly people? Osteoarthritis is the most common disease in elderly people. It is a degenerative joint disease, meaning that the cartilage between the bones of the joints is destroyed. This condition causes pain, swelling, and stiffness. Although osteoarthritis can occur as a natural process during aging, other factors such as being overweight, family history, and previous joint injury can lead to early onset of the disease.
Rheumatoid arthritis is usually less common; but it can be more painful. With this type of arthritis, the immune system does not work properly. A healthy immune system uses inflammation to get rid of infection or prevent disease. In a person suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, the body’s immune system attacks the joints and inflames them. In the meantime, exercises for the elderly with arthritis can greatly help reduce patients’ pain.
Top Relaxation Techniques for Elderly Arthritis
There are many relaxation techniques for elderly arthritis. Usually, this type of pain can be reduced by doing some exercises and massage. Below are some useful strategies for reducing pain in arthritis patients.
- Lose weight
Being overweight can have a big impact on your arthritis symptoms. Extra weight puts more stress on your joints, especially your knees, hips, and thighs. The American College of Rheumatology and Arthritis Foundation (ACR/AF) guidelines strongly recommend losing weight if you have osteoarthritis, are overweight, or are obese. Your doctor can help you determine your ideal weight and create a plan to help you reach it.
- Maintain joint flexibility
Strengthen the muscles around your joints to increase your flexibility. Good options for arthritis include exercises like walking, tai chi, and aquatic activities.
- Use hot and cold compresses
Heat treatments can include taking long showers or baths and warming your joints in the morning to help reduce stiffness, and using an electric blanket or moist heating pad to reduce discomfort at night. Cold therapy can also help relieve joint pain, swelling, and inflammation. Wrap a jelly ice pack or bag of frozen vegetables in a towel and apply it to painful joints for quick relief. Never apply ice directly to the skin.
- Acupunctu
Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese medical treatment that involves inserting thin needles into specific points on your body. Acupuncturists claim that this treatment, which reroutes energy and restores balance in the body, can help arthritis sufferers. Acupuncture can help reduce arthritis pain in older adults, and the American College of Rheumatology and Arthritis Foundation (ACR/AF) recommends it conditionally.
- Meditation
Meditation and relaxation techniques may help reduce arthritis pain by reducing stress and empowering you to better cope with the disease. The American College of Rheumatology and Arthritis Foundation (ACR/AF) also recommends tai chi and yoga for this purpose. These meditation techniques combine relaxation and breathing with low-impact exercises. Studies have also shown that practicing meditation and mindfulness has been helpful for some people with rheumatoid arthritis.
- Eat a healthy diet
A diet rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole foods can help boost your immune system and overall health. For example, plant-based diets contain antioxidants that can help reduce inflammation by removing free radicals from the body. On the other hand, diets high in red meat, processed foods, saturated fats, and added sugar and salt may exacerbate inflammation and increase arthritis pain.
Exercises To Ease Arthritis Pain In Seniors
How does lifestyle change and healthy diet affect the treatment of arthritis? In addition to relaxation techniques for elderly arthritis, eating right, avoiding stress, and exercising are principles of a healthy lifestyle that are even more important with arthritis. By having healthy habits, you will have a healthy life with arthritis in the long term.
People who suffer from stiffness or joint pain, such as pain in the joints of the fingers, are usually reluctant to exercise and be active, but it is interesting to know that exercise helps a lot in reducing the symptoms of arthritis. When you move your body and work the joints, it makes it smoother and increases its flexibility. The muscles around the joint are strengthened and reduce pressure on the joint.
Diet helps a lot in reducing arthritis pain. Fruits and fatty fish are foods rich in anti-inflammatory antioxidants. Adding these to your diet can reduce the pain caused by arthritis. On the other hand, some foods increase inflammation in the body. Sugar, processed foods, and refined flour are among these foods. The foods that reduce the severity of arthritis are the same foods that prevent heart disease and diabetes. Vegetables, legumes and beans, fruits, fish and nuts are all good foods for the body. Diets rich in fiber have a good effect on inflammatory diseases in the joints. Fiber helps strengthen bones.
Types of Massage for Elderly Arthritis Relaxation
Although there are many different types of Massage for seniors, But only two options—medium-pressure massage and myofascial release—are considered beneficial for relaxation techniques for elderly arthritis. In a study published in November 2015 in the journal Complementary Therapies in Practice, researchers found that participants who received medium-pressure massage on their knees reported reduced pain and increased range of motion. Researchers believe the pain relief may be related to increased brain serotonin, a natural pain inhibitor in the body. The most important massage therapy techniques for arthritis pain relief include:
- Myofascial Release
A style of therapy that involves prolonged pressure on selected areas of the body to break down connective tissue. Research has shown that this style of therapy, three times a week for two weeks, can provide relief from pain and other symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Prolonged pressure (more than three minutes) on targeted areas of the body helps to change the underlying structure of connective tissue, correcting structural changes that can lead to pain. This method can be effective in stimulating blood circulation and triggering the body’s natural anti-inflammatory actions.
- Swedish Massage
The most well-known massage technique, Swedish massage uses long strokes with varying pressure to relieve and loosen muscle knots. The moderate pressure of this type of massage can produce results similar to those found in studies.
- Hot Stone Massage
This style of massage combines the use of hands to relieve muscle stiffness and stiffness with the use of hot stones, which can relax muscles and reduce pain. Be careful with heat, though, as it may aggravate inflamed joints.
- Deep Tissue Massage
Deep tissue massage uses intense pressure and tissue manipulation to relieve stiffness and pain. However, if the pressure seems excessive, do not continue this style of massage for rheumatoid arthritis treatment.
Relaxation Techniques for Elderly Arthritis: What Happens if you Ignore Arthritis Pain?
We often hear people say that knee pain is a normal part of aging. But the truth is that ignoring knee pain can cause more problems. Some relaxation techniques for elderly arthritis can help manage this pain. Keep in mind that joint pain can get worse if left untreated. It can interfere with your ability to perform regular, everyday activities, such as walking, bathing, dressing, cooking, cleaning, driving, and even sleeping.
Joint pain can also reduce your mobility and balance, which increases your risk of falling. According to one study, people who had pain in one lower joint, knee, or hip, were 53 percent more likely to fall. People who had two affected joints were 74 percent more likely to fall, while having three to four painful joints increased that chance to 85 percent. Additionally, bones break more easily in older people, often due to falls. Exercise can help control pain and improve bone health.
Concluding Remarks
In this article, we introduced relaxation techniques for elderly arthritis. Osteoarthritis often occurs in the elderly due to old age and bone loss, which causes problems with movement for the elderly. This disease may take away the ability to walk effectively and cause slow movement. There is no definitive cure for this disease, and only the use of supplements and some exercise can prevent its progression. In more severe cases of osteoarthritis, surgery and joint replacement may be required.
In addition to pain and discomfort, osteoarthritis in the elderly also brings immobility. A person suffering from arthritis may have difficulty standing after sitting for a long time, such as watching a movie or riding in a car. In addition, they may feel stiff in their knees in the morning and have difficulty starting the day. Reduced mobility may be more challenging for seniors who participate in activities they used to enjoy, such as shopping, walking, or visiting family and friends. As a result, seniors who suffer from arthritis should seek help from the exercises and techniques we mentioned to reduce their pain.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Role of Aging in the Occurrence of Arthritis?
Arthritis occurs due to the gradual wear and tear of joint cartilage and is more common with age. In the process of aging, which is completely inevitable, cartilage cells in the joints also gradually degenerate and weaken.
What is the Role of Genetics in Elderly Arthritis?
Genetics plays an important role in people developing arthritis. Arthritis is a physical disease that cannot be transmitted to other people. It does not even spread between different joints of a person. However, it may appear in a person due to genetic mutations and heredity.
What Diseases Cause Arthritis in the Elderly?
Some chronic conditions may increase the risk of developing arthritis in the elderly. Diseases such as diabetes, Wilson’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and joint infections are some of the things that may cause arthritis in the affected joint. Injuries such as fractures that occur with accidental blows can also cause this disease.
What Effect Does Lifestyle Have on the Occurrence of Arthritis in the Elderly?
Unhealthy nutrition, lack of attention to weight, lack of exercise and inactivity, and other bad habits that a person may have become accustomed to throughout life can be grounds for the occurrence of this disease in old age.
What is the Role of Exercise in Arthritis?
Exercise is essential for a healthy body. However, if you practice the sports you do incorrectly, your joints may be irreparably damaged. Some sports, such as football and mountain climbing, cause faster wear and tear on the knees and, if not properly cared for, may lead to arthritis.