How To Help Arthritis Pain In Upper Back And Shoulder - Experts' Recommendations

Many people suffer from problems with arthritis pain. The most common location of this type of pain is in the upper back and shoulders. The good news is that there are some simple steps you can take to ease your pain without having to resort to dangerous medications or surgeries. Experts say that simple lifestyle changes, like the ones we discuss in this article, can help up to 90 percent of people who suffer from back pain problems.

Chair support is the number one most important solution for how to help arthritis pain in upper back and shoulder. There are specially-designed chairs for back pain available. These chairs are built with lumbar support pads that force you to sit up straighter which will eventually bring about pain relief. If you don't have access to a chair designed for back pain, you can use a small, firm pillow tucked behind your lumbar region in any chair to accomplish the same result.

My Pillow Pets

Next, it is important to use an anti-inflammatory. Although it might make sense to stay away from prescription medications for arthritis, some of which have been found to cause heart problems, a simple, over-the-counter anti-inflammatory is safe. These include ibuprofen and aspirin. Make sure to check with your doctor to make sure you can take this type of medication.

How To Help Arthritis Pain In Upper Back And Shoulder - Experts' Recommendations

Another answer to how to help arthritis pain in upper back and shoulder areas is to practice some kind of gentle exercise routine. Calisthenics, tai chi, or light aerobic exercise are all fine for people with back problems and can help stretch the muscles to provide pain relief.

A major question is how to help arthritis pain in upper back and shoulder areas that develops during the night. A firm, comfortable mattress, possibly with a memory foam top, can do a world of good for these nighttime aches and pains. Experts also recommend putting a pillow between your knees if you sleep on your side or under your knees if you sleep on your back as methods of eliminating nighttime problems.

If you suffer from back pain, you will find that altering your lifestyle somewhat and adding an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory will make a world of difference.

How To Help Arthritis Pain In Upper Back And Shoulder - Experts' Recommendations

Doctor-Can Arthritis Cause Headaches

Headaches can occur occasionally as a result of osteoarthritis in the neck. Typically, these headaches go up the back of the head. The pain may be more apparent on one side than the other. The pain then radiates to the crown of the head.

Rarely, the pain will radiate to the temples.

My Pillow Pets

The pain sometimes is aggravated by movement of the head or possibly if the head is held in one position for too long a period of time.

Doctor-Can Arthritis Cause Headaches

Patients will often comment that it feels "like sand" or "crunchy" when they turn their head.

Sometimes the pain will be felt in the back of the shoulder and along the inside of the shoulder blade.

The diagnosis is made through a careful history, physical examination, and imaging studies such as x-ray and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Once the diagnosis is confirmed treatment with medication, physical therapy, traction, and different types of injections are often successful in relieving the pain. A soft cervical collar and neck support pillow may also be useful.

Sometimes patients who have arthritis take pain relievers. If they stop taking them they can get rebound headaches. This often prompts the patient to take more pain relievers and therefore may make the problem worse. The solution: try to avoid the cycle of medication- discontinuation of medication- rebound.

Patients with fibromyalgia, a diffuse pain syndrome, may also have severe headaches as part of their disease. A treatment plan incorporating exercise, analgesics, and antidepressant types of medicines may help.

Finally, a potentially serious type of headache can occur as a result of giant cell arteritis (GCA). This is also known as temporal arteritis. GCA is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of blood vessels, particularly the ones in the head. Typically a patient will have pain in the temples, tenderness of the scalp, and pain in the jaw with chewing. If not diagnosed and treated aggressively with high dose steroids, this condition can lead to blindness.

The diagnosis is suspected if the patient has an abnormally elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate in their blood and a biopsy of the temporal artery can help confirm the diagnosis. While the biopsy may be negative even in cases where GCA is present, the presence of a positive biopsy clinches the diagnosis. Unfortunately, a negative biopsy should not dissuade one from making the diagnosis since it can be negative in a significant percentage of cases.

Doctor-Can Arthritis Cause Headaches