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If you suffer because of arthritis, these top tips might help you cope.

An arthritis diagnosis is a painful experience to go through. It forces you to take stock of your life and what is essential, and then to grieve the things you will no longer have. Though your days of long hikes or wild swimming might be behind, these 5 tips mean they don’t have to complete over.

5 Tips to Help Fight the Challenges of Arthritis

Arthritis is a painful condition that can leave you debilitated. Instead of suffering in silence, try these tips out to help you fight back.

1 – Keep Active

Arthritis damages the joints and makes exercise more painful than it used to be. Nevertheless, those suffering from arthritis need to maintain an appropriate fitness level. Adversely, exercise strengthens the joints, tendons, and muscles that cause us so much pain. Keeping active is a primary treatment method for the disease.

2 – Heat and Ice

If you experience pain in your joints due to this disorder, you should buy yourself a heat pack. These wonderful devices are soft bags filled with hard beans, which you heat up in the microwave or in a clean pan. You can reuse them as many times as you like. The heat stored in the beans gradually releases over time, and you can place the pack where the pain is. You should also ice up any exercise injuries or ice your joints if they swell and cause you pain. Ice is particularly important during exercise sessions.

3 – Slow Down

Arthritis can be a sign that you need to slow down a little. For example, if you work in a kitchen and spend 12 hours a day on your feet, then develop arthritis in your ankles, this is a clear sign that it is time to slow down. Consider each aspect of your daily life and repurpose it in a way that causes you the least pain. It may be time to switch out to an office job, just remember to stay active by incorporating a strategic exercise routine, too.

4 – Mix it up

A lot of the pain of arthritis comes from overusing the joints we suffer with. A good strategy to cope with this and ease that burden is to mix it up. If you work a desk job, don’t sit at the desk the same way all day, get up and move around. If you work as a cleaner, try different movements and techniques. Find ways around the pain.

5 – Stress Management

Another aspect of this disease is the stress it will cause you, particularly when you first receive a diagnosis. WebMD recommends finding productive ways to manage your stress levels. Taking time to rest, looking for a support group, and joining mild exercise classes, can all help.

Arthritis Is Not the End

The most important thing to remember about all this is that arthritis is not the end. Sure, you may have more limitations on your physical ability than before, but it does not mean the end of an active lifestyle. Especially not when you follow these tips.