Arthritis Pain Relief - Which is Better, Hot Or Cold?

Knowing whether to use heat therapy or cold therapy to reduce arthritis pain
and joint stiffness comes down to the type of arthritis and the type of pain
you have. Since everyone experiences and responds to pain differently, it is
important that you discuss a pain management plan with your doctor. You may
have to try several things to see what works.

When to Use Ice to Treat Arthritis Pain

According to Dr. Kevin Sperber, Board Certified Pain Management Specialist at
Columbia University, "As a general rule of thumb, ice is best for soft tissue
injuries such as bruises, sprains or acute trauma. Cold therapy may also be
helpful if you experience a flare of pain after activity. Cold acts as an
analgesic by numbing the sore area and can also drastically reduce swelling
and discomfort."

Traditionally, doctors recommend cold packs be applied for only 10-20 minutes
at a time. Be careful though! With prolonged application of cold you could
hurt yourself, especially if you have sensory problems or impaired vascular
circulation in your hands and feet.

When to Use Heat to Treat Arthritis Pain

Doctors and therapists recommend therapeutic heat more often than cold to
soothe arthritis pain because it relaxes sore tendons and ligaments,
increasing flexibility and decreasing pain. Heat also increases blood flow
and improves joint range of motion.

So why the debate over hot or cold? Dr. Sperber says that for acute injuries
(sprains, strains, etc.) just about everyone recommends ice, but for chronic
conditions, like arthritis, both cold and heat can help to reduce
inflammation, so it may come down to what feels better.

As for how heat should be used, there are competing problems. The trick is to
get enough heat into the tissue, for long enough, without burning your skin.
For example, hands heat up fairly easily because the tissue is not "deep",
but for deep tissue pain, in the hip for instance, you may need to apply a
lower temperature for a longer time. There are specific products that address
these issues and each product comes with recommended time usage guidelines.

Most Popular Cold Therapy Products:

* Frozen Gel Cold Packs. Save your frozen peas and use a pliable, reusable
"ice pack" instead. ColPaC makes them in lots of sizes and shapes. Keep ice
packs in the freezer and they'll be ready whenever you have a flare-up.
Remember to use layers of dry terry toweling between the cold pack and your
skin.

* Biofreeze. This topical pain reliever is highly recommended for temporary
relief of arthritis, tendonitis and fybromyalgia. You can order it in a tube,
roll-on, spray or gel pump.

Most Popular Hot Therapy Products:

* Whirlpool Spa or Hot Tub. For most arthritis sufferers, hydrotherapy is the
ultimate heat therapy. For a fraction of the cost of installing a permanent
spa you can have a portable, inflatable whirlpool spa that goes anywhere -
indoors, outdoors, on your patio, deck, RV, condo or apartment. We suggest
the Spa2Go or the Spa-N-A-Box. Both are easy to assemble (20 minutes) and no
special wiring or plumbing is needed.

* Infrared Heat. Sometimes deep penetrating heat is just what you need to
reduce your arthritis pain. The Thermotex Infrared Heating Pad TTS Platinum
model is the most popular model, although there are other Thermotex therapy
systems available. The TTS Platinum is a nice portable size (17" x 15") and
has adjustable straps so you can fit it comfortably almost anywhere on the
body.

* Light Relief Light Therapy. This hand-held device provides topical heating
to raise and/or maintain tissue temperature wherever it is placed. My
grandmother uses it to relieve joint pain and she loves it. It can even help
dogs.

* Paraffin Bath. Dip your hands, feet or elbows in melted paraffin wax and
let the warmth spread through your stiff arthritic joints for fast acting,
drug-free therapy. The most popular one on the market is the Therabath PRO
Paraffin Bath. This unit is large enough to accommodate your hands, feet or
elbows but small enough to fit on your counter. It includes hospital grade
paraffin with your choice of scents.

* Moist Heat. Arthritic and rheumatic pain is often relieved with moist heat.
Moist heat increases blood flow, soothing inflamed joints and increasing
flexibility. Take a look at the Theratherm Digital Electric Moist Heating
Pad, the Thermophore Automatic Moist Heat Pack or the new Thermophore
Arthritis Pad. There is also a Therabeads Moist Heat Mitt that you wear on
your hands.

* Arthritis Gloves. These specially designed arthritis gloves provide mild
compression and warmth for your hands. Some people wear them day and night.
They have open fingertips so your can feel, touch and grip.

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How to Use Arthritis Gloves

Arthritis gloves are used as a way to treat arthritis of the hand. These
gloves allow someone who is suffering from this condition to be able to move
their hands and use their fingers as they were once used to before they
became afflicted with the arthritis condition.

Different Forms of Arthritis

There are many forms of arthritis. The most common type is that which affects
older people, although some younger people have been affected with arthritis
as well. This condition involves a breaking down of the joints, swelling and
pain and eventually the inability to use the joints. Arthritis can affect any
joint and most often affects the fingers. People who have arthritis in their
hands begin to experience pain when they are going about their every day
tasks. The pain eventually keeps getting increasingly worse - to the point
where only medical treatment can help.

How Arthritis Diagnosis is Done

A doctor will do a blood test and take some X-rays to make a diagnosis of
arthritis. In many cases, based on the symptoms, the doctor will be able to
make a clinical diagnosis of the condition right away. In the case where the
arthritis is primarily affecting the hands, the doctor will most likely
advise wearing specially designed gloves to help with the condition.

Managing the Pain of Arthritis

Arthritis gloves can be found in any store that sell surgical and medical
equipment and even in your local drug store. They are the best alternative
when it comes to treating this condition without medication. Most doctors
will advise that you take an ibuprofen if you feel the pain from the
arthritis condition. There are studies, however, that indicate that taking
too much ibuprofen can be detrimental to your health. Studies have linked
this medication with stomach disorders, liver disorders and even stomach
cancer. Taking too much over the counter pain medication is never a good idea
as it can cause numerous problems in the digestive tract.

In addition to gloves, alternate therapy is also used in the treatment of
arthritis. This involves physical therapy on the hands that is effective for
keeping the hands mobile with as little pain as possible. Many people who
have advanced arthritis in the hands will find that their joints swell so
much to the point where the hands become deformed and unable to perform the
most basic functions. This can be avoided by using physical therapy to treat
the arthritis condition.

Staving off Arthritis in the Early Stages

If you feel a cracking and swelling in the joints of your fingers as well as
pain in the hands after you have completed a task, you may be suffering from
the early onset of arthritis. Although this condition is not a life
threatening condition, it can be very painful and can end up causing you to
eliminate activities that you once enjoyed. In order to stop arthritis in its
tracks, you need to do what you can do to stave off the condition.

Massage your hands gently to make sure that you have good blood flow
throughout the fingers and hands. Keep your hands warm as the cold will make
the arthritic condition even worse. Before becoming reliant on pain
medication, consider wearing arthritis gloves that will alleviate the pain
and allow you to perform tasks that you are used to performing without
incurring pain.

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Arthritis Gloves - At Last, Relief From the Pain of Hand Arthritis

You've got that nagging pain in your finger joints again. Blast this
arthritis! Many people are now discovering an aid to the overcoming the
discomfort of this crippling condition - arthritis gloves. Why stop doing
the things that you love like sewing or playing golf just because of
arthritis in your hands?

These gloves work by providing warmth and gentle compression. The warmth is
naturally generated from the skin and directed back to the body. This helps
to increase blood flow to the fingers that brings oxygen and nutrients to the
area to help repair any damaged tissues. The compression helps to reduce any
inflammation, which is a significant cause of arthritis pain.

If you are on the look out for some of these gloves, here is a quick guide to
some of the features you should consider.

Are they anatomically fitted? The purpose of the gloves is to provide mild
compression and to keep the heat in. For this to be effective you have to
have a product that is well engineered to fit snugly to the body.

Do they come in a range of sizes? This is not the sort of product where a
one-size-fits-all will work. You want a product that is made to your size.
Remember you could be wearing it for long periods so make sure they are
comfortable.

Full or fingerless? This is your choice. If you want a glove that you can
wear at night you may want to opt for a full glove. On the other hand you
may find that a fingerless glove is more practical for wearing through the
day. This will still provide warmth but you will find it easier to carry out
your day-to-day chores.

What sort of fabric? You don't want sweat to build up inside your arthritis
gloves so choose a breathable fabric. Also daytime gloves should ideally
have a textured finish to help you grip things. If you start dropping things
like cups and saucers you won't use your gloves for very long.

Arthritis gloves are very easy to use and don't need batteries or any outside
source of heat to provide the warmth. And at a time where there is an
increasing concern about the side effects of the various treatments on offer,
you'll be glad to know that there are no side effects with these gloves.

Know somebody who is suffering from the discomfort of rheumatoid arthritis?
Tips on how to live with this illness can be found at
http://www.arthritispainadvice.com. You'll also find the latest ideas on
rheumatoid arthritis pain relief.

Rheumatoid Arthritis: Can You Identify Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis is customized to the disease activity based
on diagnostic testing. Rheumatoid arthritis is an immune disease where the
body is somehow triggered to attack itself. There is no known cause but the
outcome is the same.

The first step in identification of the disease is to do a physical exam for
telltale rheumatoid nodules in areas of pressure as the elbow and fingers;
examination also looks for redness, tenderness, swelling and heat in the
joints. Doctors also use a thorough history, blood tests and some x-rays.

Once the diagnosis is suspected or confirmed a referral to a Rheumatologist
is standard practice. The Rheumatologist is a physician who has received
special training and education and has taken and passed certification board
exams. Some doctors will say they are board eligible but this only means
that they have passed their initial tests to be a doctor but haven’t taken
the testing to be a Rheumatologist.

A Rheumatologist will complete the diagnosis, evaluate the progression of the
disease, prescribe a treatment plan and follow up with the patient.

Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis are usually symmetrical so if there is
inflammation of only one or two joints the diagnosis may be more difficult.
The doctor may use arthrocentesis to rule out an infection or gout. The
presence of nodules around the elbows or fingers will also make the diagnosis
easier.

Doctors use blood tests including a Rheumatoid Factor (antibody in the blood)
to rule out Rheumatoid Arthritis. RF is present in only 60-80% of patients
with RA. Most patients with RA also have Citrulline antibody in the blood.
It is used in the diagnosis of patients who otherwise have unexplained
inflammation and is felt to be present during the early stages of RA.
AntiNuclear Antibodies (ANA) are also thought to be present in the early
stages.

Sedimentation rate (sed rate) is the rate at which the blood cells fall to
the bottom of the test tube. The rate is faster during flares and when the
inflammation is higher and slower when the disease is in relapse. C-reactive
protein will also measure the amount of inflammation in the body.

Rheumatoid factor, C-reactive protein, Sed rate and ANA can be abnormal in
other autoimmune diseases so doctors use these tests in combination with
others to diagnose RA

At this time there is no cure. The goals of treatment for Rheumatoid
Arthritis is to reduce the inflammation and pain as well as maximize the
function of the patient. Studies have shown that early aggressive treatment
will improve function and decrease the progression of the disease.

Optimal treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis involves medications, exercise,
rest, joint strengthening, joint protection, and patient and family
education. Treatment is customized according to the progression of the
disease, the types of joints involved, age of the patient, occupation,
general health and the cooperation of the family and patient.

There are two types of medications used to treat Rheumatoid arthritis. First
line drugs are anti-inflammatory such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil) and
corticosteroids. These are fast acting drugs and are used to decrease
inflammation, pain, swelling and discomfort.

Second line drugs are Disease Modifying AntiRheumatic Drugs (AMADs) and are
slow acting. They are used to promote remission of the disease and decrease
the progression such as methotrexate, gold and hydroxycholoquine.

Other treatments of Rheumatoid Arthritis include fish oil, which has
anti-inflammatory effects. Acetominophen (Tylenol) gives some quick pain
relief. Recent research has also shown some promising results using
antibiotics. Exercise is also important to strengthen the muscles that
support the joints while heat or cold packs after exercise can help decrease
the discomfort.

Although this disease has varying degrees of severity in patients treatment
of Rheumatoid arthritis has improved significantly over the past several
years. As research continues to move treatment plans forward we are getting
closer to finding the trigger that initiates the immune cascade that results
in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Vanessa Youngstrom, a nurse practitioner, enjoys writing and educating on
health and wellness topics. You’ll find more articles at
http://www.PathToYourHealth.com

Arthritis Gloves

There are many companies, which manufacture arthritis gloves. Generally, the
cost of a pair of gloves ranges from $10 to $50, and even more. These gloves
are effective in reducing the pain. The gloves are effective against both
osteoarthritis as well as rheumatoid arthritis. The gloves must work for
increased blood circulation in the micro level; quicker blood flow; supplying
sufficient oxygen and nutrients; rejuvenating blood veins, capillaries, and
nerves; reducing pain and rigidness in the finger joints; warming up the
fingers faster and long lasting; maintaining stronger nails and softer skin;
increasing the stretchability of the collagen tissue; reducing bacteria and
infections; improving dexterity and flexibility; and increasing the power of
hand.

Jobar International Therapy Gloves are specially made for men, which help in
a big way to get rid of the pain related to arthritis. A pair of gloves cost
around $10. Dome Industries Handeze Therapeutic Gloves help in relieving the
pain of: arthritis of hand, carpal tunnel syndrome, fatigue on hand, poor
blood circulation, repetitive stress injuries, and tendonitis. They cost
around $13. Isotoner therapeutic gloves are very helpful to ease painful
swelling of hand and sore joints because of arthritis. The approximate cost
of these gloves is $17. Light compression arthritis gloves render therapeutic
warmth to decrease the severity of pain and swelling. They cost around $28.
Thermoskin Arthritis Gloves are designed to ease the pain on fingers and
hands typically of arthritis. The cost of these gloves is around $30. The
Swede-O-Inc Thermoskin Arthritic Gloves are anatomically shaped and have been
specially designed to alleviate arthritis pain in fingers and hands. These
gloves cost around $33. If the severity of arthritis is very high, the Heat
Therapy Gloves are very effective in reducing the pain by raising the skin
temperature around two to three degrees, which maximizes the blood
circulation. These gloves cost around $40. Far Infrared Arthritis Gloves are
highly effective in reducing the bedeviling symptoms of arthritis. These
gloves are very much useful in mending the pain, stiffness and swelling of
the hands and finger joints.

Prolotex™ Therapeutic Open Finger Tip Arthritis Gloves are gentle,
comfortable, and the people can wear these gloves round the clock. If
anyone's work does not allow gloves then the individual can wear the gloves
during night to mend arthritic hands and fingers. The material used to
prepare these gloves is impregnated with some special bio-ceramics, which
give out and reflect the curing ability of infrared rays deep into the soft
tissues of the hands. These gloves can increase the blood circulation at the
cellular level, which is the vital action to get rid of the pain and
inflammation of arthritis. These gloves help to bring nutrient-rich,
oxygenated, fresh blood to the affected areas. These gloves are available in
three different sizes. Normally, these gloves cost around $50; however, some
stores are offering these gloves for about $40.

Robert Grazian is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To
learn more about arthritis visit Arthritis Made Painless for current articles and discussions.