Tramadol and arthritis — dealing with chronic pain

How to cope with the pain of arthritis

As arthritis slowly begins to affect your joints and slow your movements, you will get a wide variety of advice about whether to exercise, how to relax and reduce your stress, and what medication to take. Here are a few simple tips on how to cope.

1. Talk to your doctor on a regular basis

Although this can be an expensive business even if you are covered by health insurance, you need your doctor to understand how the symptoms are developing. Sometimes, the problems you think are unrelated prove to be caused by the advancing arthritis. Indeed, the better the picture you give, the easier it is to confirm the diagnosis of which version of arthritis you have and, more importantly, to see which joints have already been damaged.

2. Gentle exercise is good for you

Often through fear of pain, people slow or stop all their more serious attempts to exercise. This does nothing more than encourage your joints to stiffen and the muscles to lose their tone. Do not sit still for too long. You should get into the habit of changing your position on a regular basis, stretch your arms and legs, and make a positive effort to relax the muscles in your arms and hands by gently shaking them. Talk to a physical therapist and ask for a program of exercises to keep you moving. This is particularly important in an evening. Joints stiffen overnight. Exercising before sleeping reduces this problem and gets you moving more easily when you wake. The aim should be to build up the strength in the muscles around each affected joint. This exercise should be low impact and avoid repetitive movements. Exercise will also help you remain more positive. Mood is important when facing a long-term disease like arthritis.

3. What drugs should you take?

Most doctors will tell you it is better to make do without having to rely on drugs for as long as possible. Cognitive behavioral therapy will teach you how best to do this. If you have pain, rest and apply either hot or cold presses to reduce swelling and ease stiffness. If the pain does not disappear, try one of the over-the-counter painkillers. The anti-inflammatories are the best for arthritis. If these are not adequate, then you turn to Tramadol. However, in all this, try to remain positive. Depression can amplify your perception of pain, so strike a balance between rest, exercise and medication to get the best results.