Osteoarthritis Symptoms and How to Prevent Them

Osteoarthritis Symptoms include:

Natural Herbal Heat packs that work both hot and cold A couple of minutes in the microwave and you are on your way to relief

Back braces back braces support the lumber region with compression and/or semi rigid panels

Chiropractic Pillows Some pillows feel good others make you feel good.

Improve bone strength Natural supplements to improve bone strength and joint health

Massagers - Hand Held Massage tools that make giving a professional massage a snap. Give a longer more penetrating massage without tiring.

Arthritis Joint Pain and Swelling after activity or in response to a change of weather

Limited flexibility, Stiffening after a period of rest or not moving for a while

Bony lumps on the hand, when at the end of fingers, they are called Heberden's nodes, and when on the middle joints of fingers, called Bouchard's nodes

A grinding sensation when the joint is moved

Numbness or tingling in an arm or leg, which can happen if the arthritis has caused bone changes that are putting pressure on a nerve, for example in the neck or lower back

The osteoarthritis pain associated with osteoarthritis tends to:

Be worse first thing in the morning, and then improves after getting up and moving around

Gets worse again at the end of the day

Arthritis pain Level decreases with rest

Osteoarthritis Diagnosis

A health care professional may ask about osteoarthritis symptoms in your parents, because osteoarthritis pain appears to have a genetic component. He or she will examine you, looking for tenderness, warmth and swelling around the joint or joints. There is no test that confirms the diagnosis. Your health care professional may order X-rays, but osteoarthritis only shows up on X-rays in the later stages of the disease. Your health care professional also may order blood tests to look for evidence of another arthritic condition.

Osteoarthritis Prevention

There is no reliable way to prevent most cases of osteoarthritis. However, you may be able to control some factors that increase the risk of developing the disease.

You can:

Maintain an ideal body weight.

Prevent osteoporosis by getting enough exercise, maintain a good diet, vitamin D, and calcium and possibly by taking medication

Prevent major accidents and injuries.

Treating or preventing any associated conditions that might contribute to joint damage (for example, gout or infection) also may prove beneficial.