6 methods of fighting rheumatic pain

For this type of therapy, low-energy and biostimulating lasers are used in rheumatology. For the procedure, the diseased joint should be exposed, it is necessary to sit or lie down comfortably – the laser head moves for a few minutes over the diseased joint. A beam of polarized laser light sweeps through the sensitive area. The procedure is painless. As with magnetotherapy, laser therapy improves blood circulation, relaxes muscles and relieves pain.

Magnetotherapy is the effect on the body of a pulsating magnetic field of low frequency. During the procedure, we may be fully clothed, it is not necessary to expose the sick joint. A painful joint, e.g. a wrist, is placed in a special rim (cylinder) for 10-15 minutes, which creates an alternating magnetic field. Magnetotherapy is painless, during the treatment we feel nothing – tingling, heat or cold. The effect of the pulsed magnetic field is the expansion of blood vessels, thanks to which blood flows faster through them (even through the smallest – capillaries), and the tissues are better oxygenated and nourished. Magnetotherapy also affects the electrical conductivity of nerves – we feel pain less.

Our body conducts electricity, which makes it possible to use it in pain therapy. Under the influence of direct current, skin vessels and deeper muscles are dilated, tissue nourishment is improved and regeneration processes are accelerated. Thanks to the action of electricity, it is also possible to administer (anti-inflammatory) medications in the form of liquids through the skin. This procedure is called iontophoresis. Different levels of current relieve pain, relax the muscles, and increase their strength. This method is not used in people with a pacemaker, purulent lesions on the skin or a tendency to bleed or blood clots. They must also not be used in the vicinity of metal implants, e.g. joint prostheses.

Treatment with low temperatures (cryotherapy) is recommended by doctors during periods of exacerbation of diseases. These can be cold ice packs, cool baths, cold showers, local cooling with liquid nitrogen vapor or staying in a cryochamber (we enter a room with a temperature of minus 1-3 ° C for 130-160 minutes). Cryotherapy causes the blood vessels to shrink briefly in the cold and then rapidly widen. As a result, muscle tension is reduced and we feel pain less. High temperatures are used when symptoms are less. These can be compresses, mud baths, paraffin, local irradiation with a sollux lamp. The heat causes tissue congestion, allowing the muscles to relax and the pain to lessen. In some rheumatic diseases (eg RA), the joints should not be heated up too much, because then their hyperemia occurs too much, and this increases the pain.

Without gymnastics and rehabilitation treatments, you can forget about the effective treatment of rheumatic diseases and pain relief. Paradoxically, the most persistent exercise is when pain occurs in order to improve joint mobility, reduce discomfort, relax contractures, stimulate blood circulation and strengthen muscles. If the pain is difficult to bear, we can limit ourselves to a gentle massage on a given day. It is not about the massage of sore joints, but the muscles and tendons that connect to them. For example, if you are bothered by the joints of your hands, massage the forearm muscles (between the elbow and the wrist). It is best to use the pressure technique – e.g. we put the left hand around the elbow with the left hand, press for a few seconds, release the grip, move the hand a bit forward and press again. For massage, we can use analgesic and warming ointments or gels. Exercise only to the point where you hurt. Exercise sets must be selected individually by the therapist.

It’s worth starting with paracetamol. When it does not help, use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). However, it is important to know that they have many side effects, and therefore, when using them for a long time, you should monitor the functions of the kidneys and liver and pay attention to digestive system ailments. In addition, when taking older generation NSAIDs (aspirin, ketoprofen, piroxicam), you also need to take medications that protect the stomach. Even when the pain has not completely subsided, the daily dose specified by the manufacturer must not be exceeded. Two or more drugs of the same class should not be used at the same time. Therefore, it is good to use alternating painkillers, e.g. paracetamol or nimesulide for 2 weeks, and then e.g. myeloxicam, diclofenac or ketoprofen. This will allow the liver to regenerate in the first case and the kidneys in the second. The doctor should decide what drug and what schedule to take.