Pain in old age
When people grow old,
they also learn to live with pain and assume that pain in old age is a part of
life. Pain not only makes us hurt, it also affects the way one leads a life. It
causes not only physical disturbance but also leads to mental disturbance and
which ultimately leads to depression. It is a very serious problem as it
affects every point of the life. Joint pain in old age is also known as
geriatric pain.
Causes of joint pain
Some of the main causes
of joint pains are inflammatory joint diseases; osteoarthritis is one of the
most common joint pain diseases in old age. It is mainly caused by the wear and
tear of the joints caused by ageing. It affects knees, shoulder, ankle, hips,
and feet. The main symptoms of this typical disease are stiffness in the joints
particularly after doing exercise and after waking up in the morning and also
after sitting in the same posture for a long time. Gouty arthritis is another
common old age problem which is caused due to increase of the level of uric
acid content in the body. The pain points where it attacks are knee, heels,
ankle, wrist and fingers. Some previous injury or any joint dislocation can
also be a main cause of old age pains.
Treatment for old age pain
Using ice therapy or
heat therapy can give relief from the joint pain caused by osteoarthritis.
Doing low impact exercises that involve movement of the joints are also quite
helpful. Avoiding food containing high protein diets, and avoiding alcoholic
drinks helps to keep control of the uric acid level which in turn helps to get
rid of the pain caused by gouty arthritis. Proper medication is also
needed. For joint dislocations and
injury proper medical treatment is required.
Healthy food- helps to fight against joint pain
Arthritis is the main
cause of the joint pains. It is caused due to the damages of the cartilages,
tissues, bones and joints. Proper diet helps to get relieve from the pain
associated with joint pains. Researchers have proved that omega-3 fatty acids
helps to reduce the inflammation caused due to the wear and tear of the tissue
cells. The omega-3 fatty acid is normally found in walnuts, trout’s, and
mackerels. Broccoli, cauliflowers also helps to fight against arthritis.
Consumption of greater amount of vitamin D also helps to fight against
arthritis. The main source of vitamin D is the sun. Some food items containing
vitamin D are oily fish, dairy products. Olive oils also have high capacity to
help to reduce the stiffness in patients caused by arthritis.
Supplements – to prevent joint pain
Glucosamine is
considered as a natural supplement that helps to keep the cartilages in our
body lubricated and also helps to keep the joints mobile. Chrondroitin sulphate
is another highly recommended supplement that helps to reduce joint pains
caused by inflammations. Calcium is also used as supplements to reduce joint
pain. For all the muscular contractions, that takes place in our body, our body
needs calcium, and if our blood does not have enough calcium then this calcium
is taken from the bones. Therefore, enough calcium should be kept in our diet
so that there is no deficiency of calcium. Proper diets are always mandatory
for good health.
