Arthritis is a condition that affects more than 3 million new people in the United States each year. And more impactful than its prominence in the number of new cases is the fact that there’s no known cure. It simply needs to be endured with treatments that can reduce the severity of symptoms and maintain a quality of life. 

While doctors can prescribe medications or even suggest surgery there are also several natural remedies an individual can rely on to fight swelling, pain, and the range of motion in your joints.

1.Maintain a Healthy Weight

For some people, the more direct advice to offer here is “lose weight.” Extra weight means more pressure on joints like hips, knees, and ankles. Living at a healthy weight will reduce that strain as well as offer you an improvement in mobility and acting as a preventative measure for future pain. It may be the most effective remedy that is within an individual’s control.

2. Get More Low Impact Exercise

This can help kill two birds with one stone if you are in need of losing weight. The key for arthritis patients is to avoid traditional weight loss methods like heavy exercise and weightlifting. Those forms of exercise can and likely will add more stress to the joints affected by arthritis, so things like swimming,  and even stretching are viable forms of exercise in this condition.

3. Get Massages

Whether you’re going to a professional, simply making regular visits to a therapist, or even learning techniques to administer your own massages, this is one practice that can make a major impact. The Arthritis Foundation suggests regular massages of arthritic joints because it can reduce pain and stiffness as well as improve range of motion in those same joints — two of the most prominent and debilitating symptoms of arthritis no matter how severe.

4. Use CBD Treatments

CBD is regularly used to reduce pain and inflammation from a variety of problems. Treating the same arthritis symptoms is no different with CBDs. One 2016 study examined the effects of CBD treatment on rats with arthritis, applying a CBD gel to the rats over a four-day period. The study proved to reduce inflammation in the joints and pain in the rats’ affected joints while also showing no side effects. Although the treatment is not FDA approved for humans and more human-focused research is needed, it’s smart to do your own research on CBDs if you consider using them for arthritis relief. According to a 2018 report by Forbes, laws concerning CBDs are “murky” in some places in the United States and it’s smart to learn what’s a viable and allowable treatment wherever you happen to live.

5. Hot and Cold Therapies

You know how athletes work to keep their muscles warm so they can stay loose? And then they often use ice to reduce inflammation from injuries? These methods can do the same for your arthritic joints. Hot tubs and long hot showers early in the day will warm your joints up and keep them loose. Icing them at the end of the day will tone down the inflammation and set you up for fewer problems the next day.