Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis continued – 3rd rule for protecting your joints
This article is the fifth in a series. There are 6 rules to protect your joints – the 1st and 2nd rule have been explained in previous articles. Let’s now have a look at the 3rd rule.
3. Reduce the amount of effort and force you are using
Joint protection is a proven strategy to help you manage rheumatoid arthritis pain and perform daily activities more efficiently. Arthritic joints can’t tolerate as much stress as healthy joints. Pushing, pulling or twisting motions can be painful. Think about ways you can avoid unnecessarily stressing your joints. Don’t be tempted to work through your rheumatoid arthritis pain. You might make the pain worse and increase your risk of developing joint deformities.
• Ask for help as much as possible.
• Keep items near where you use them, so you have an easy flow of work.
• Use prepared foods and freeze leftovers for easy meal preparation.
• Take frequent breaks when doing activities and spend less time doing them.
• Avoid prolonged pinching or gripping motions. Use less force to hold tools or equipment.
• Try to relax your grip as much as possible and use padding to build up grips on objects/utensils to ease pressure on small joints.
• Ask your doctor or occupational therapist about using specially designed devices that help spread the force throughout your palm or arm.
• If you type at a keyboard for long periods and your chair doesn’t have arms, consider using wrist or forearm supports.
Many think that arthritis just affects older people, but that isn’t true. Juvenile arthritis is used to describe the disease when it occurs before the age of 16. It is never too early to practise joint protection strategies.
When arthritis strikes, it doesn’t discriminate. The Arthritis Foundation estimates that by the year 2040, 78 million people will have arthritis. With such staggering figures, you must be aware of the dangers of arthritis and, more importantly, how to manage it. If you begin to experience any symptoms, see a doctor. When it comes to getting ahead of arthritis, early detection is best.
