Arthritis makes your joints feel stiff and sore, like they're locked in place, or even on fire.
But using heat and cold can help with the pain.
To use heat, place a heating pad or hot pack against the sore area 2 or 3 times a day for 20 to 30 minutes each time.
A hot shower can work too.
If you use an electric heating pad, be sure to set it on low or medium-not high.
And don't fall asleep with the pad on.
To use cold, try putting a cold pack, a bag of ice, or even a bag of frozen peas or corn on a painful joint for 10 to 20 minutes at a time.
Whatever you use, don't put it right against your skin-put a thin towel or pillowcase between the ice and the sore joint.
And if you re-freeze and use the bag of peas or corn again, mark the bag clearly so no one uses it for dinner.
Another good way to use cold is to give yourself an ice massage.
Fill a paper cup with water, and put it in the freezer.
Once it's frozen solid, peel the top part of the paper cup away to expose the ice.
Hold the cup in your hand, and rub the ice in small circles where you have pain.
Use a towel to catch the water as the ice melts.
Avoid bony parts like the top of your kneecap and the pointy part of your elbow, and keep the ice moving.
As the ice melts, keep peeling the cup away to expose more ice.
The area will feel cold at first.
Then it may burn, then ache, then finally become numb.
Your skin will be pink and cold when you're finished.
Do this for 7 to 10 minutes, several times a day.
Switching between heat and cold can help too.
Try using heat, then a few hours later use ice.
Experiment a little to see whether using heat ... cold ... or both ... works best for you.
