Osteoarthritis is the wear and tear of the joints, which causes the joint bones to rub together, leading to pain, swelling, and loss of motion in the joint. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis among older people and is very common among the age group of 40-70 years. With the time the wear and tear increase in the bones or due to overweight leading to high chances of Osteoarthritis.
Although osteoarthritis can occur in any joint, but it is seen mostly affecting the wrist, shoulder, knees, hips, and spine (either at the neck or lower back). Osteoarthritis is an auto immune condition; the exact cause is unknown but in Ayurveda it is believed that osteoarthritis is the imbalance of vata. Ayurveda has a record of completely curing osteoarthritis naturally whereas modern medicine suggests managing the condition by using steroids, anti-inflammatory medicine etc. and surgery in the extreme condition without promising a complete cure.
According to Ayurveda if we can change our lifestyle, we can reduce the degradation to the minimum, though the recovery will be slow without the administration of medicine and treatment.  But some herbs along with lifestyle changes can have a very positive effect on the patient and hence reduce the pain.

5 steps for reducing osteoarthritis at home

• Balanced light diet with adequate calcium component can be helpful to the patients in the reconstruction of bones at the affected site of wear and tear. Diet can include:
  Whole grains, black beans, spinach, cabbage, carrot, cucumber, tomatoes, banana, orange, lemon, honey, raisins, fatless cottage cheese and coconut oil

Avoiding fried food or pickles will give better results and at the same time drinking plenty of water is recommended. Having a light diet will help restore the metabolism hence correcting the immune system and including foods that balances vata will help in osteoarthritis treatment at home.

• Exercise is the most important lifestyle change to adhere while trying to reduce the pain of osteoarthritis. Exercise can decrease pain and assist in maintaining a healthy weight hence reducing the friction during the rubbing of bones. The following types of exercise are found to be beneficial, but they should be practised under the guidance of Physiotherapist or a certified instructor.
• Strengthening exercises
• Aerobic activities
• Range-of-motion activities
• Balance and agility exercises
• Vedic yoga

Activities that increase the risk of osteoarthritis include:

• Twisting of the leg (E.g. Football or baseball sport)
• Jerky movement
• Prolonged standing (E.g. in case of Traffic policemen)
• Prolonged kneeling (E.g. Coal miners)
• Squatting
• Nearly 10% of the population is affected with osteoarthritis and Overweight people with a BMI>30 kg/m2 were 6.8 times more likely to develop knee Osteoarthritis. It is highly advised to reduce your weight if your BMI is higher than the ideal BMI. Weight will reduce the direct force on the joint, reducing the friction during the rubbing of the joint bones hence reducing the wear and tear. You can contact us or contact a good dietician for you who can help you lose weight.
• Vata-alleviating treatments through specific herbs are suggested for lubrication and strengthening of joints like Rason, Guggulu, Bala, Nagabala, Ashvagandha, Ajwain, Eucalyptus, shalaki, Shunthi (ginger), Nirgundi, etc. and adding these herbs in your daily diet can help reduce the pain. 
  For external application, massaging with any one among the Mahanarayana taila, Vishagarbha taila, Narayana taila, Mahamasha taila, Saindhavadi taila will be beneficial in reducing the pain.
• Meditation and breathing exercise will not only help in relaxing the mind but will help in reducing the pain by allowing the brain to reset its functionality and start the recovery efficiently. Sleeping on time, allowing adequate rest to the body will help rejuvenate the mind and allow the body time to recover the damage from wear and tear of joints. Hence, making a schedule, including meditation and sleep as an important factor for recovery will help osteoarthritis patients in reducing the pain in a short span of time.

When should osteoarthritis patient consider surgery? (H2)
When conservative measures for treating Osteoarthritis fail and pain in a specific joint disables an active individual, surgery may restore a patient’s ability to pursue normal activities with some compensation. A surgery will relieve pain but the range of motion will be compromised with the artificial joint.
A patient whose arthritic pain has interrupted his daily activities completely even after trying every treatment known, the condition does not improve and is now leading to disability, is the right candidate to consider surgery (i.e. can't walk more than a block or awakens from sleep with pain in the affected joint) When all the treatments are proving to be ineffective and nothing seems to be working for the patient even after trying, for such patients surgery relieves joint pain and improves their quality of life.

We hope that you do not have to ever undergo the knee surgery to relieve the osteoarthritis pain and this is the reason why we will request you to use our expertise and relieve yourself from the pain of osteoarthritis. Reach out to us at sreeragamayurveda@gmail.com with your medical reports and a brief of your medical condition to avail the best treatment for osteoarthritis at Kochi, kerala.