Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease. The treatment depends on conventional medicines and lifestyle changes for the patient. These medicines only treat the pain and not the patient on the whole. Long term use of these medications has severe and serious side effects. Home remedies, lifestyle changes and natural remedies are very effective with the osteoarthritis pain with hardly any side effects.

Some treatments can even prevent the disease from getting worse.

You should always consult your doctor before starting anything new.

  • Hot and cold compress are very helpful and have no side effects like medications. Hot compress is useful for joint stiffness and cold compress is best for joint pain. Both these compresses are useful to lessen muscle pain or spasms in the joint.
  • Epsom salt bath can give relief to the whole body from joint pain. Magnesium present in Epsom salt can give relief for inflammation and pain.
  • Topical ointments and creams are gels and creams which may have aspirin or analgesics to lessen the pain. It can be applied directly on the infected joint.
  • Supportive devices can offer more support without using medicines. There are various devices to choose from depending on the condition of arthritis in your body.
  • Natural remedies are being used commonly now as there are hardly any side effects compared to the conventional medication. Consult your doctor on which supplement would suit you best before starting anything new. Green tea – an anti-inflammatory drink contains polyphenols. The compounds present in this drink could help lessen inflammation. Ginger is known to the reduce pain of osteoarthritis. If eaten long term it may even lessen the risk of the disability caused by osteoarthritis. There could be some side effects so consult your doctor. Turmeric (curcumin) is a compound found in turmeric. It helps in fighting the pain, inflammation and stiffness caused by osteoarthritis. It may also help in an osteoarthritis flare.
  • Lifestyle changes are very successful because regular exercise, healthy diet, maintaining your weight improve joint health and strengthens the muscles to prevent further damage. Yoga, swimming, cycling, walking help you to stay active.
  • Eat osteoarthritis friendly foods like broccoli, citrus fruits, nuts, green tea, fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, garlic, low fat dairy products and plant based oils.
  • Foods to avoid like alcohol, salt, sugar, rice, white bread, saturated transfats and aspartame (artificial sweeteners) they increase the pain, stiffness and inflammation caused due to the disease.
  • Maintain a healthy weight as it puts less stress on the weight bearing joints like hips, knees and ankles. Osteoarthritis is a chronic lifelong disease with no cure but managing the symptoms and condition of your body can help you for life. Always consult your doctor before starting anything.