Healthy Living Tips

If you are living with osteoarthritis knee pain, it is helpful to get enough rest and sleep.

Proper rest is all about knowing when to stop or slow down. That way you are less likely to overuse a joint, which can cause pain.

If getting to sleep is difficult for you, try the following:

• Sleep in a dark room
• Keep noise in your bedroom and the surrounding area down as much as you can
• Try warm milk, which can help make you sleepy
• Avoid foods and drinks that contain caffeine
• Try not to nap during the day

If you still have trouble sleeping, talk to your doctor about ways to help you sleep.

Euflexxa therapy is one change that can help reduce your osteoarthritis knee pain. Something else that may help is to lose weight, if that’s something you and your doctor have discussed.

In addition to other health benefits, weight loss can reduce stress on weight-bearing joints such as your knees, limit further injury, and increase your ability to be more mobile. Treatment with Euflexxa may help you become more active because reduced osteoarthritis knee pain can make it easier for you to begin exercising in the first place.

If weight loss is not an issue for you, you might still consider making some changes in the way you eat. Some doctors believe that a diet high in dark-green, leafy vegetables, fruit, fish, and unsaturated oils (such as olive oil and flaxseed oil) and low in processed foods and refined sugars may help reduce arthritis pain and inflammation. These suggestions for an “anti-inflammatory diet” are a variation of the Unified Dietary Guidelines that any healthy adult should follow to maintain health and prevent disease.

Before you make any changes, talk to your doctor about a plan that will work for you.

Research shows that exercise is an excellent treatment for osteoarthritis. In fact, exercise has been shown to increase flexibility, to help you maintain your weight, and to promote general physical fitness.

Perhaps you haven’t been able to exercise due to your osteoarthritis knee pain. If so, you will want to start slowly. You don’t need to start on a complete exercise regimen—just trying to get some movement into your life may help.

An effective exercise program may include the following types of movement:

• Strengthening exercises help to strengthen muscles that support your joints that are affected by osteoarthritis. These may be performed with exercise bands to add resistance
• Range-of-motion activities help to keep you limber and strong, extending the range of motion of your joints
• Aerobic exercise can help get your heart pumping and keep your lungs and circulatory system in shape
• Exercise may also help to reduce your weight, if that’s a goal for you

Of course, if you have knee pain as a result of osteoarthritis, you may want to begin with exercise in which water helps to support your body, such as swimming or water aerobics.

• As always, check with your doctor or physical therapist before you try any program or treatment

It may seem old-fashioned to consider warmth and coolness for OA knee pain: however, they can be useful to give you some relief from joint pain.

This is true whether or not you begin therapy with Euflexxa. Even when you do start treatment, if you have not yet finished all three injections (once a week for 3 weeks), you may not yet be enjoying the maximum relief from osteoarthritis knee pain that Euflexxa offers.

One advantage that heat and cold have over most over-the-counter pain relievers is that, like many old- fashioned remedies, they have almost no effect (if any) on the rest of your body. Heat and cold offer different advantages. Be sure to speak to your doctor about which is best for your individual case.

• Warmth increases blood flow and can ease pain and stiffness. Try warm towels (just out of the dryer), hot packs, or a warm bath or shower
• Coolness can reduce inflammation, relieve pain, or numb a feeling of soreness. For an inexpensive, easily reusable cold pack, use ice or a bag of frozen vegetables wrapped in a towel

Coolness is often used for a short time immediately after an injury and warmth is usually used to increase circulation to the area. To determine if warmth or coolness should be used, it is best to ask your healthcare provider.