Dr. Carmel Silke, a rheumatologist, offers ten tips for sufferers of osteoarthritis.

Top Ten Tips for Osteoarthritis

1. Stay motivated and active but pace yourself on a good day.

2. Do joint specific exercises (often demonstrated by a physio) - These can reduce pain and improve function in patients with knee arthritis. They can be done at home.

3. Inform yourself - Patient education results in fewer visits to the Doctor

4. Have your feet checked – All patients benefit from wearing thick soft soled shoes some will also need specialised foot insoles (Orthotics)

5. Try and lose some weight - Even a small reduction can lead to improved function

6. Use painkillers only as required - If painkillers needed use the lowest dose and those with the least amount of side effects, e.g paracatamol can be as good as anti-inflammatories and in low doses is relatively safe. Occasionally stronger ones are needed.

7. Topical treatment e.g creams and gels are beneficial and safe especially when used following heat application.

8. Glucosamine/chondroitin is for long term benefits - trials have shown some benefit in preventing disease progression.

9. Joint injections can be helpful in some patients - Hyaluronan can be beneficial for pain reduction and functional improvement. Steroid injections are most helpful if there is active inflammation.

10. If you require a stick make sure you use it on the correct side –For hip arthritis use it on the same side as the affected hip and for knee arthritis use it on the opposite side to the affected knee (This can reduce the load on the affected knee by 40%)

About the author:
Dr. Carmel Silke is a Consultant Rheumatologist for The Galway Clinic. This article is published by Máirín O’Reilly, MóR Public Relations on behalf of <http://www.ArthritisCare.ie> an online resource for the Treatment, Causes & Prevention of Arthritis in Ireland <http://www.arthritiscare.ie>.