How Do You Taper Off Prednisone
No matter the dose, if youâve been taking prednisone for more than 2 weeks, you shouldnât stop suddenly. Your doctor will help you decrease your dose slowly so your body has time to increase its own cortisol production. Follow your doctorâs instructions about tapering carefully. If you quit all of a sudden, you could have symptoms like:
Not All Apple Cider Vinegar Is Beneficial
Going to a grocery store may not be the place to find the apple cider vinegar that is beneficial. Most vinegar sold in grocery stores is processed and these are not beneficial to us. Raw, unprocessed, organic apple cider vinegar is the beneficial vinegar. This type of apple cider vinegar is rich in beneficial enzymes and acids that have a multitude of health benefits. It is encouraging however, to see some grocery stores carrying organic, raw apple cider vinegar. Health food stores carry this also and it is inexpensive.
All of the benefits of apple cider vinegar can only be attained with vinegar that is organic, raw, unfiltered and unprocessed. This type of apple cider vinegar will have a noticeable amount of residue floating around in the bottle. This is called the mother, the natural accumulation of beneficial enzymes and nutrients. In any other form, including pills, apple cider vinegar is inferior and much less effective.
Antidepressants For Osteoarthritis Pain
Your doctor may recommend the use of antidepressant medication to help treat chronic OA pain even if you donât have depression. Itâs not clear how it works, but brain chemicals affected by antidepressant medications may play a role.
One antidepressant, duloxetine , is FDA-approved for the treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain, including chronic osteoarthritis pain. Common side effects include nausea, dry mouth, sleepiness, and constipation.
Doctors sometimes prescribe a tricyclic antidepressant such as amitriptyline, desipramine , and nortriptyline for chronic pain. These are most often taken near bedtime because they can make you sleepy. Other side effects include dry mouth, nausea, weight change, and constipation.
All antidepressant drugs carry a boxed warning of higher risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in children, adolescents, and young adults. Anyone starting antidepressant drugs should be monitored closely for any unusual behavioral changes, suicidal thinking and behavior, or worsening of a psychiatric disorder.
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How Is Osteoarthritis Of The Spine Treated
In most cases, treatment of spinal osteoarthritis is geared toward relieving the symptoms of pain and increasing a person’s ability to function. The goal is to have a healthy lifestyle.
Initial treatment may include losing weight if needed and then, for everyone, maintaining a healthy weight. It may also include exercise. Besides helping with weight management, exercise can also help:
- increase flexibility
- improve blood flow
- make it easier to do daily tasks
Some of the exercises associated with osteoarthritis treatment include swimming, walking, and water aerobics. Exercise may be broken down into the following categories:
- Strengthening exercises. These exercises seek to make muscles that support the joints stronger. They work through resistance with the use of weights or rubber bands.
- Aerobic exercises. These are exercises that make the heart and circulatory system stronger.
- Range-of-motion exercises. These exercises increase the bodyâs flexibility.
Including rest periods in the overall treatment plan is necessary. But bed rest, splints, bracing, or traction for long periods of time is not recommended.
There are non-drug treatments available for osteoarthritis, including:
Other Conditions That Cause Back Pain
Sometimes pain felt in the back actually originates elsewhere in the body. Such problems may include: prostate trouble in men problems with reproductive organs in women kidney diseases, such as an infection or kidney stone diseases of the intestines or pancreas, such as cancer or a blockage cancer that has spread to the spine multiple myeloma, a form of cancer of the bone and bone marrow curvature of the spine rarely, a tumor on the spinal cord
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Hot And Cold Treatments
Many people have found that hot and cold treatments help relieve back pain. You might try both to find out which works better for you. Heat relaxes muscles and soothes painful areas. There are many ways to apply heat. Some people like hot showers or baths, while others prefer using heat lamps, heating pads or warm compresses. If you have arthritis, heating your muscles first might make it easier for you to do back exercises. Be sure not to fall asleep while using heat. Cold has a numbing effect. This often helps relieve pain. You might try one of these methods for applying cold:
- an ice bag
- a large ice cube used to massage the area
- a frozen package of vegetables
- a commercially made cold pack.
- Be sure not to leave ice on after the skin becomes numb. This could lead to localized frostbite. Do not use cold if you are especially sensitive to it or
- have decreased circulation or sensation. Read the pain management article for more information about heat and cold.
Up Your Calcium Intake
Getting too little calcium raises the risk of osteoporosis, a brittle-bone condition that accelerates if you have RA. Men and women should get 1,000 milligrams of calcium a day, 1,200 for women over 50 and men over 70. Dairy is the most famous source of calcium, but its also found in such veggies as cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, kohlrabi, broccoli, and turnip greens. Here are 11 foods with more calcium than a glass of milk.
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Natural Treatments For Arthritis
There are currently a number of alternative treatment options available for osteoarthritis sufferers, ranging from supplements to acupuncture. Many people who formerly suffered with osteoarthritis claim to have finally found relief naturally through adjusting their diets, lifestyles and approaches to managing pain. Here are the top seven natural treatments for arthritis.
1. Reach and Maintain a Healthy Weight
Additional body fat strains joints, but accumulated fat itself can also cause problems to joints that are already sensitive and partially damaged. Fat does more than just sit on your body its also an active tissue that creates and releases hormones and chemicals. Some of these promote inflammation and can contribute to worsening arthritis all over your body.
The University of Michigan School of Public Health reports,
Adipose tissue, once considered a passive storage portal of energy, is now recognized as a highly metabolic endocrine organ with the capacity to secrete active agents including adipocytokines, such as leptin, resistin and adiponectin. Over the past decade, interest in these adipocytokines has quickly become an area of intense study with respect to osteoarthritis based on evidence that they may play an important role in cartilage homeostasis and because of their emerging potential as therapeutic targets.
2. Improve Your Diet
Foods for helping treat arthritis include:
3. Stay Active
4. Get Chiropractic Care
5. Take Proteolytic Enzymes
Expert Q& a: Back Strain Or Arthritis
Understand the difference between spinal arthritis and other types of back pain, and try these pain-relieving tricks.
Question: I am a 35-year-old man who has had pain in my lower back for the past couple of weeks, and Id like to know some methods for low back pain relief. Because my mother and an aunt both have arthritis, Im also wondering if I’m developing arthritis, too.
A: It’s possible, but very unlikely, that you have arthritis of the spine. The most common cause of acute low back pain in people your age is back strain. This condition is caused by strain to the muscles or ligaments supporting the spine or a herniation of the lumbar disks . It is not always possible to differentiate between the two causes, nor is it necessary. In the vast majority of cases, the pain improves and subsides over several weeks.
Assuming your problem is simple back strain , the following advice can help you achieve low back pain relief:
Doyt Conn, MD
Emory University School of Medicine
Atlanta, Georgia
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Symptoms Of Arthritis Of The Spine
Spinal arthritis causes stiffness and low back pain. The stiffness is worst upon waking up in the morning, tends to ease with activity, then worsens toward the end of the day. Presumably, this is because fluid has built up in the joint due to inactivity overnight, which causes more swelling.
The low back pain due to facet joint arthritis has a typical pattern:
- The pain is mostly more than 80% in the back, runs into the buttocks, and often really feels like its in the hip.
- As it gets even worse people often report burning on the outer aspect of the thigh, and sometimes pain down the leg.
How Much Prednisone Will I Take
The amount of prednisone your doctor prescribes will depend on your specific condition and the stage of your disease. You might get a high dose for a short time if youâre having a flare-up. Or your doctor may put you on a lower dose for what they call bridge therapy while youâre waiting for another medication to take effect. Many people take a low maintenance dose for a long time to keep inflammation levels in check.
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How Could Confounding Affect The Study Results
With this new study of tramadol, confounding is a real concern. For example, for a person who has both kidney disease and arthritis, doctors may prescribe tramadol rather than naproxen because the latter may worsen kidney disease. Yet kidney disease could increase the risk of other health problems, including a higher rate of death, which could then be attributed to the tramadol. In other words, the very reason your doctor chose tramadol could make this medication appear riskier than it really is.
The authors of the study acknowledge this possibility and took measures to limit it. In fact, many studies try to avoid these sorts of errors, but they are impossible to avoid completely.
Is It Safe To Take Tylenol Daily For Arthritis Pain
Question: I suffer from osteoarthritis. My doctor says I should keep exercising even though my joints hurt. He says its okay for me to take a pain medication like Tylenol in order to remain active. But Ive read that Tylenol can damage my liver. What am I to do?
Answer: You are right to be concerned about medication safety. But your doctors also right that you need to be physically active. So how do you balance these seemingly competing objectives?
I posed your question to two specialists at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre: One is a surgeon who performs joint replacement operations and the other is an expert in drug safety.
Lets start with the surgeon. Dr. Jeffery Gollish, Medical Director of Sunnybrooks Holland Orthopaedic and Arthritic Centre, says he sees lots of people who feel the same way you do.
Many patients, he says, fear that exercise will lead to additional damage of their joints. The fact that it hurts when they move is taken as a sign that they are doing harm to themselves. And they worry medications that mask their pain will simply allow them to do even more harm.
The issues of exercise and medication are two areas where the public has misconceptions, says Dr. Gollish. They think both are harmful. In fact, both are beneficial.
Exercise, in general, is good and wont harm the joints. The only thing we tell people to stop doing is running and avoiding any impact activity.
An extra-strength tablet contains 500 milligrams.
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Natural Remedies For Arthritis Pain
Arthritis pain doesnt just cause discomfort, pain, and disability, its expensive. But there is hope, and life doesnt have to be about waiting for the next bout of pain to pass. These home remedies for arthritis can help you beat the pain.
Heat
Keeping the joints warm when youre experiencing pain can help alleviate the symptoms. Use a heating pad or wrap the joint with a scarf to keep warm.
Massage
Light stroking and kneading of muscles may increase blood flow and warm affected joints, temporarily relieving pain. Make sure your massage therapist knows which joints are affected by arthritis.
Weight Loss
Evidence shows losing weight can be hugely beneficial for people with OA. A recent study found patients who shed pounds had less inflammation and pain, better function, faster-walking speed, and a better quality of life.
Acupuncture
This therapy uses fine needles inserted at specific points on the skin to reduce many types of pain, including that caused by some types of arthritis.
Yoga
A review of 17 studies published in the journal Musculoskeletal Care found that yoga reduced osteoarthritis pain. But experts recommend avoiding hot yoga if you have joint problems. The heat may make you feel as if you can stretch more than you should, which can further damage joints.
Exercise
See also: 6 Healthy Habits To Prevent Arthritis.
Epsom Salt
Ginger and Turmeric
Green Tea
Capsaicin Cream
Rotator Cuff Tear Arthropathy
Rotator cuff tear arthropathy is a type of shoulder arthritis that can develop after a massive and prolonged rotator cuff tear. The four rotator cuff tendons in your shoulder wrap around the ball portion of the shoulder joint, holding it in place. If one or more of these tendons is heavily torn, this may cause the humeral head to rub against other bones and develop arthritis.
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How Arthritis In The Back Is Diagnosed
Diagnosing arthritis in the back begins with taking your medical history and doing a physical exam of your back and legs to assess your mobility/flexibility and make sure your nerves are working properly. The doctor will ask questions about:
- Where the pain is occurring
- How long the pain has lasted
- What the pain feels like/how severe it is
- What situations/activities make the pain feel better or worse
- How the pain is affecting/limiting your daily function
Imaging tests are usually needed to help confirm a diagnosis of arthritis. X-rays are typically the first imaging test ordered. They can joint damage/bone spurs, but cannot show damage to soft tissues such as muscles, ligaments, or bulging discs. Other tests may be ordered to look for changes or damage that is not visible on X-rays. These may include MRI, CT, ultrasound, bone scans, or other tests as needed. The gold standard to diagnose arthritis in the back is actually an injection called a medial branch block, but its not often necessary, says Dr. Kirschner.
If your doctor suspects you could have a type of inflammatory arthritis, they may order blood tests to look for signs of inflammation, such as C-reactive protein or erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
Other blood tests may look for genetic markers associated with axial spondyloarthritis, such as HLA-B27, or antibodies associated with rheumatoid arthritis .
What Are The Warning Signs Of A Serious Problem
Very rarely back pain or pain that travels down the leg is a sign of a serious problem.
If you have any of the following symptoms, you should seek urgent medical attention:
- difficulty controlling or passing urine
- loss of control of your bowels
- numbness around your back passage or your genitals
- serious weakness in your legs so you find standing really difficult
- severe and ongoing back pain that gets worse over several weeks.
The above symptoms could potentially be linked to a rare but serious condition that needs urgent medical attention.
You may be sent for tests if:
- youve had an injury to your back, for example a bad fall
- your doctor suspects that there may be an underlying cause for your pain
- the pain has lasted for an unusually long time.
In this case a magnetic resonance imaging scan or computerised tomography scan may be needed.
X-rays are much less commonly used because back pain is often caused by problems with soft tissues, such as ligaments and muscles, which cant be seen on x-rays.
Changes to the spine as a result of spondylosis can show up on x-rays. These common changes that happen to us all can appear on x-rays without people having any pain or problems. Because of this, x-rays arent particularly helpful.
Remember that sometimes even after a thorough investigation it might not be possible to say for certain what is causing back pain.
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Overview Of Medications Used To Treat Spinal Arthritis A Common Cause Of Back Pain Also Called Osteoarthritis Or Spondylosis
The type of arthritis that more commonly affects the spine is osteoarthritis, also called spondylosis. Other types of arthritis that are inflammatory in nature include rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. Here, youll learn about medications for osteoarthritis that affects your neck , mid back , and/or low back .It is not uncommon for arthritic neck or back pain to be accompanied by other symptoms, such as tingling sensations, numbness, or muscle spasms. Photo Source: 123RF.com.
Pain And Other Symptoms Of Spinal Osteoarthritis
The intensity and type of pain people experience as a result of arthritis in the spine varies from mild to severe, and occasional to episodic to chronic. Each type of pain is treated differently. Of course, it is not uncommon for arthritic neck or back pain to be accompanied by other symptoms, such as tingling sensations, numbness, or muscle spasms. Learn more about the range of osteoarthritis symptoms.
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Apple Cider Vinegar Can Relieve Arthritis And Joint Pain
There is not a doubt that we have become a society riddled with arthritis and joint pain. Conventional medicine offers prescription drugs that come with a massive list of possible side effects and still these do not solve the underlining problem. Natural wisdom teaches us that there is always hope beyond pharmaceutical drugs. There is a plethora of studies out there that clearly proves to us that lifestyle changes and dietary habits have a profound effect on our health and this includes arthritis and joint pain. The simplest of remedies like a daily intake of apple cider vinegar can effectively work for many people to naturally ease pain in the joints .
