Unfortunately for arthritis sufferers, there is no cure for the arthritis. But there are many ways to cope with arthritis that will keep you active and in control of your life. One of the main things you must remember if you have arthritis is to keep moving. You must maintain the movement in your joints or 'old arthur' will get you. Your body must be maintained, as a car would be. You wouldn't keep your good car sitting idle in the garage and you shouldn't sit idle in your living room. A great basic home remedy for arthritis is getting out and walking, gardening and trying to house clean every once in a while to help keep those joints in motion.

Arthritis Exercises

There are different types of exercises that can be done to help arthritis sufferers. The easiest of these exercises is called range-of-motion exercises. These are basically exercises that help to maintain good movement by putting the joints through a full range of motion. This will help reduce the risk of joint injury and they are a great warm-up exercise. Every arthritis sufferer should do these range-of-motion exercises. You should start with these exercises and then work up to aerobic exercises. An aerobic exercise is anything that raises the body's heart rate and increases breathing. These exercises not only will help to tone your muscles and increase their endurance, but they also will improve heart, lung and blood vessel health. Weight bearing exercises will help strengthen the bones. An arthritis sufferer should work up to 30 minutes on any given day of exercise.

Another home remedy for arthritis is swimming. Any kind of activity in a pool is good for the arthritis sufferer. Or if a pool is not available, try doing your hand exercises in a sink full of warm water. Exercising in water is virtually painless. The buoyancy in the water reduces the strain on your joints. So, if physical exercise is too painful, then join a health club that has a pool. Many of these clubs have water aerobics. But be sure and tailor your routine to include the exercises that provide you with the most relief and enjoyment.

Arthritis rubs are other home remedies for arthritis. These rubs may only provide temporary relief by heating up the joints, and using them too often may activate enzymes that can break down the cartilage in the joints. Over the counter medications are also home remedies for arthritis. These must be used with caution as a prolonged use can cause serious side effects. Consult with a physician before using these drugs consistently. Other home remedies for arthritis are wearing gloves, wearing scarves, goose down blankets and weight watching. Gloves may reduce the swelling hands of arthritic hand sufferers. Wearing them to bed with battery operated heaters inside each one will provide additional relief. Wearing a scarf around the knee or elbow is another remedy that may help the joint pain. Goose down blankets warm the joints and help relieve pain and the extra pounds on the body will add extra stress on the joints for arthritis sufferers. So by attempting some of these home remedies for arthritis you might suspend a few visits to your doctor and provide yourself some necessary relief before going to the more powerful drugs.