To Your Health
May, 2022 (Vol. 16, Issue 05) |
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Natural Pain Relief
By Editorial Staff
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) remain all too common for pain relief of any kind; think aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, etc.) and more. New research provides more evidence suggesting it's time to ditch the NSAIDS – and try this instead for natural pain relief; in this case, for pain caused by knee osteoarthritis.
Exercise therapy appears to be just as effective as NSAIDS and opioids – an even more powerful, more dangerous class of pain relievers that's been in the news lately for contributing to a virtual epidemic of misuse, abuse, addiction and death – for relieving knee OA pain. Findings appear in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy and are based on a review of 13 previously conducted studies.
Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disorder in the U.S., and symptomatic knee OA occurs in 10 percent of men and 13 percent of women age 60 or older. As you can imagine, having osteoarthritis or knee pain alone is bad enough; having them in combination, particularly as you age and preserving mobility becomes ever more important, is a real problem.
So, if a natural pain reliever works as well as a pain medication, which should you choose? It's no content, considering that all drugs (yes, all) come with a long list of potential side effects, from mild to moderate to severe – to even deadly. Talk to your doctor for more information.
