Arthritis impacts millions of elderly individuals across the world. This guide explores how to stop symptoms from getting worse as you age.
Are you struggling with the symptoms of arthritis? You’re not alone. According to the latest research, arthritis impacts more than 54 million adults. Many people assume that arthritis and similar medical conditions are an unavoidable part of the aging process. However, this is not the case. Furthermore, even if you do suffer from arthritis, there are steps that you can take to prevent the condition getting worse as you age.
What Are The Symptoms of Arthritis?
There are various symptoms of arthritis. This includes issues such as:
- Pain
- Swelling
- Stiffness
- Lowered mobility
Symptoms like this may be severe or mild. They can also be chronic or recurring. It’s not uncommon for symptoms to become increasingly worse overtime and eventually cause permanent levels of pain or discomfort.
Regardless of the extent of your symptoms, there are steps that you can take to ensure that they are less likely to get worse overtime.
Keep Up Every Day Routines
It’s commonly assumed that the best way to reduce symptoms of arthritis is to be less mobile and limit movements as much as possible. In reality, it will be more beneficial to keep your body and your joints moving. You can do this with daily stretches but you do need to be aware of your limits. The movements should be gentle while still putting your joints through a full range of motion.
Holding yourself the right way can also improve symptoms. This includes your posture when you are seated and standing. A physical therapist can show you how to correct your posture to ensure that you gain the most benefits.
Again, it’s important that you don’t push your body too far. If you do this, then you are more likely to cause an injury which can make the pain from a condition like arthritis far worse.
Exercise
You should continue to exercise, even after symptoms from arthritis start to develop. Exercising can help improve your level of motion and ensure that your muscles are strengthened. If you stop exercising, your muscles and joints are going to be weaker. This is going to make even basic movements such as standing up or getting out of bed far more painful overall.
Water therapy and water exercises are particularly useful. They can help with levels of inflammation while also reducing levels of stiffness in your joints.
In terms of types of exercise, it is recommended that you focus on stretches. This is the best way to improve your level of motion. You can also focus on low-impact exercises such as:
- Walking
- Cycling
- Swimming
Make The Right Lifestyle Choices
Research suggests that lifestyle choices can increase the severity of arthritis symptoms. For instance, you should consider managing your weight more effectively. Additional weight will put more strain on your joints and key areas of your body that are impacted by arthritis. Small lifestyle changes such as daily exercise and eating a balanced meal will ensure that you gradually lose weight while also helping you strengthen your muscles.
If you are a smoker, you should consider quitting. Smoking has been shown to cause higher levels of stress around connective tissues in your body. This can be enough to increase the level of pain you may be feeling on a daily basis.
Use The Right Medication
Arthritis can be a treatable condition if you use the right medication and remedies. You should speak with your health professional and check which medication they recommend. Do be aware that there are also alternate treatment options including herbal medicines that have been shown to be effective for treating arthritis conditions. This includes possibilities such as CBD oil.
Hot And Cold Therapy
Hot and cold therapy has also been shown to be effective at treating certain symptoms. You can apply hot and cold treatment to the joints that are impacted or causing you the most difficulty. Options include an ice pack wrapped in a towel. Alternatively, you can try using a heating blanket or perhaps a hot water bottle. It’s best to test different options to find the one that provides the greatest benefits for you specifically.
As you can see, there are numerous steps that you can take to alleviate arthritis symptoms and help prevent them from getting worse as you age. You can even try physical equipment such as crutches, canes and braces. However, it’s important that you don’t become overly reliant on these because if they are used incorrectly they can cause your level of mobility to decrease more rapidly. If you are struggling with symptoms, homecare support can help. The right homecare solution will provide you with coping mechanisms, provide a path to making the right lifestyle changes and ensure that you can always access the assistance required.
