Living with arthritis - or any kind of constant pain - can be eye-opening.

You can’t believe how much your arthritis pain can affect your daily life. These are the 5 things your doctor probably won’t tell you about your pain.

1. Regular movements help alleviate pain.

It may seem counterintuitive, but motion keeps your muscles strong. It doesn’t have to involve rigorous exercise or heavy weightlifting - a simple swim around a pool, a light yoga class, or doing tai chi can really benefit someone experiencing pain.

2. Pain comes from food, too

Your diet plays a significant part in the way you feel. If you're eating fast food like McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's regularly, it's best to remove it altogether.  When you're living with arthritis pain, your diet needs to reflect your needs in order to avoid foods that cause inflammation. This includes foods loaded with sugar and saturated fats (especially red meat).

3. Medication can cause severe constipation

Even though it might help you feel better in the short term, pain medications can cause more damage to your body in the long term. Heavy painkillers, like opioids, are known to cause constipation. This tends to be used for those recovering from surgeries or to manage chronic pain.

4. You don't always need medication

You should listen to your doctor's advice on treatment, but treatments don't always work the same for everyone. Just looking at the side effects of common arthritis medication is enough to understand the downsides of using certain medications.

5. Alternative therapies do help

When used properly, alternative and natural pain management therapies can help alleviate your pain without having to worry about negative side effects. From adding healing supplements like turmeric curcumin to your diet to using copper magnetic bracelets to meditation, alternative therapy can provide real relief without the prescription.