will be up to it. In many cases, swimming is a good place to start.
READ: Best Stretches For Arthritis
4. Help Them To Eat Well
It’s best to avoid giving your child foods that are highly processed, high in fat, and have refined sugars as these foods have been shown to promote inflammation. If you’re up to it, health experts recommend adopting an anti-inflammatory diet such as the Mediterranean Diet. Even if you don’t make all the changes, a few modifications to what your child eats can help.
5. Get The Right Painkillers
Over-the-counter painkillers are rarely effective for children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Even with prescription-strength nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), you may find that you’ll have to try different ones before your child is satisfied.
6. Ask About Physical Therapy
While it’s good to get exercise, targeted activities that are designed to improve how well your child moves will also help. Of course, not every child needs physical therapy so consult your doctor. It’s most likely to be recommended for children who are having trouble with ease of movement and need to build muscle strength.
7. Help Them To Express Their Emotions
There’s a lot of emphasis on the physical toll of the disease but there are emotional stressors as well. Since studies show that poor emotional health can impact how well persons deal with pain, it’s important to address that. You can be your child’s outlet if you can handle it or you can set regular appointments with a therapist.
It can be difficult to see your child in pain so it’s good to know that there are ways that you can help them manage it. If you’ve tried everything and it’s not helping, try asking your doctor about other options. In rare cases, children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis need surgery to get the disease under control. It’s not a decision that’s taken lightly but you should know early if that’s what your child needs.