Living with arthritis

Hi @Sals - welcome to the line community!

I see you’v got Osteoarthritis in multiple joints and it’s hurting everywhere.

My first suggestion is to make sure you are taking painkillers. You can ask your pharmacist what over-the-counter painkillers are safe to take together and with any prescription you may have, and you can ask you doctor for a stronger prescription if this is affecting you badly.

Beyond that, we do have a number of suggestions for pain. Undressing what hurts when is useful - are you particularly active sometimes and then always in pain the next day? Do you need to take it easier? Should you be doing stretching and gentle strengthening exercises more? Exercise is normally very good for Osteoarthritis, but it can lead to increased pain afterwards or the next day, especially if you do too much. Versus Arthritis has some good exercises which should be suitable for people with arthritis, and regular exercise can increase mobility and decrease pain over the long term.

There is also heat and cold - if you experience swelling, the general rule of thumb is to use a cold pack, but if there is no swelling then heat can help ease the pain. I’m a particular fan of heat myself - I have a plug-in electric shoulder heater as well as microwaveable wheat germs bags which I can apply as needed to different areas. I also use a heat-generating ibuprofen cream. I’ve tried a lot of creams and most of them didn’t seem to help me, but this on does, so it’s always worth trying different ones until you find what works for you.

I do hope this has helped and please do feel free to ask any questions or share anything you want. We all have arthritis here, and we all know sometimes it’s better to talk to someone who has experience of what’s you’re feeling.

Lovely to meet you!

Shell