Gilbert Lowe offers the following royalty-free article for you to publish online or in print. Feel free to use this article in your newsletter, website, ezine, blog, or forum. ----------- PUBLICATION GUIDELINES - You have permission to publish this article for free providing the "About the Author" box is included in its entirety. - Do not post/reprint this article in any site or publication that contains hate, violence, porn, warez, or supports illegal activity. - Do not use this article in violation of the US CAN-SPAM Act. If sent by email, this article must be delivered to opt-in subscribers only. - If you publish this article in a format that supports linking, please ensure that all URLs and email addresses are active links. - Please send a copy of the publication, or an email indicating the URL to [email protected] - Article Marketer (www.ArticleMarketer.com) has distributed this article on behalf of the author. Article Marketer does not own this article, please respect the author's copyright and publication guidelines. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use this article. ----------- Article Title: How to Live with Chronic Osteoarthritis Author: Gilbert Lowe Category: Diseases and Conditions Word Count: 501 Keywords: chronic osteoarthritis, osteoarthritis, diagnosed osteoarthritis Author's Email Address: [email protected] Article Source: http://www.articlemarketer.com ------------------ ARTICLE START ------------------
Suffering from pain and discomfort is never something we look forward to. However, as individuals age, it simply becomes part of everyday life. Nevertheless, the pain should never be so bad as to adversely affect quality of living. If so, it is definitely time to seek medical attention and do everything possible to find solace. For example, it is possible to learn how to live with chronic osteoarthritis. Unfortunately, many people wait to go to the doctor until the pain becomes almost unbearable. With a disease like chronic osteoarthritis, the sooner the patient is diagnosed, the more options doctors have to stop or slow the progression of the disease. In addition, treating the pain will probably be controllable without more aggressive and invasive procedures. Generally, the rule of thumb is a couple of weeks. If chronic osteoarthritis causes pain for two weeks, without relief, it is time to see a doctor. During the process of diagnosis, the physician will make sure the discomfort is not from some other cause. Actually, if diagnosed, osteoarthritis is chronic. It never goes away. In fact, unless the progression can be stopped, it will get worse over time. In simple terms, it is the result of cartilage loss between the bones at the joint. As the padding is depleted, movement becomes more difficult and painful. At its worst, the disease can make mobility impossible, which affects even the simplest tasks related to self-care. So, it is extremely important to learn how to live with the progressive degeneration of chronic osteoarthritis. The treatment depends upon the level of discomfort and the lack of cartilage. Among the options are: * Over-the-counter pain killers * Prescription medications * Hot or cold compresses * Low impact exercises * Surgery If caught early, chronic osteoarthritis can be relieved with pain killers available at the store. Although the doctor will have advice on slowing the progression of the disease, the discomfort is manageable. If the typical pain reliever does not work well enough, there are several prescription options to handle both the pain and swelling associated with the disease. Sometimes, if the joint has been used too much and pain meds are not enough, rest and hot or cold compresses will provide comfort. Each individual patient will need to discover the best temperature treatment. Some prefer ice to heat. Then, it is time to consider low impact exercises. Rather than overworking the joint, the intent is to strengthen the muscles supporting the joint and achieving better health. In fact, the doctor may also recommend weight lose to reduce the pressure on the joint. The whole idea is to avoid surgery if at all possible. In short, you can learn how to live with chronic osteoarthritis. You do not have to be in constant pain and sacrifice quality of life. The key is early diagnoses and exploring all treatment options available to control the disease and not have it control you. Gilbert Lowe has been dealing with arthritis for more than 40 years. You can see how he conquered osteoarthritis pain at http://www.osteoarthritis-conquered.com ------------------ ARTICLE END ------------------ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
