Article - Moving Through Arthritis

According to the latest Arthritis Foundation data 46 million Americans are affected by arthritis making it the most common cause of disability.

At one time, doctors used to advise people with arthritis to rest, especially during flare-ups. We now know that inactivity leads to stiff joints, weak muscles and low energy levels. "Physical activity, such as walking, is crucial to managing joint pain, improving mobility and reducing fatigue often associated with arthritis," said Patience White, M.D., chief public health officer for the Arthritis Foundation. The Arthritis Foundation feels so strongly about the need to increase physical activity, that they've created a website, www.letsmovetogether.org to encourage people who have arthritis to exercise more.

While you are working to improve your mobility, you may find that joint inflammation caused by arthritis can still turn routine tasks into painful obstacles. Don't be discouraged; arthritis does not have to rule your life! The staff of Dynamic-Living.com believes that the right tools and techniques can help people who have arthritis maintain their independence.

Support your joints.

• To relieve strain on hips, back and knees, sit on a high stool while cooking, washing dishes or working on craft projects.

• Tender fingers and wrists can make it difficult to open drawers and cupboard doors. Reduce resistance by lubricating drawer-runners and hinges with oil. Then, take the pressure off individual joints by looping a piece of rope through handles on cupboards and drawers. Make the loop big enough to slip an arm through so that you can use the force of your whole body to pull open doors and drawers.

• When seated in most chairs, or on the toilet, your hips and buttocks are positioned higher than your knees. This forces the knees to do most of the work in lifting the body out of a sitting position. You can shift that effort off the knees and make standing easier.

  • Lift Chair Recliners provide the needed boost to get you up and off of the chair with minimal use of your knees.

  • The Uplift Seat Assist is a self-powered lifting cushion that adds two inches to the height of a chair when you are seated. Simply shift your weight forward and push off slightly with your arms and/or legs. The pneumatic lift will help to gently raise you up to an almost standing position.

  • Raised toilet seats are helpful, as is the Toilevator, a spacer that goes beneath your toilet and raises the toilet 3".

Maximize hand strength.

• Replace faucets and doorknobs with levered handles or cover the existing doorknob with a door knob lever adapter or Great Grips doorknob covers.

• Key Turners give you more holding surface and the Universal Turner can help with the gas cap on your car or a knob on your stove.

• Find utensils with larger handles. Many kitchen tools and utensils have been redesigned with soft oversized handles. For an inexpensive alternative, use foam tubing (or pipe insulation) to make handles thicker and easier to grasp. This works for anything from toothbrushes to gardening tools.

• The Rechargeable Electric Wine Bottle Opener and the One Touch Can Opener do the work for you at the press of a button.

Make it easier to reach, bend and maneuver.

• To get at hard-to-reach objects on the top shelf or to pick up dropped items without bending, try a Reacher. A pistol grip allows for a full, four-finger trigger making it easier to grasp any object.

• Consider long handled tools, like a comb, back scrubber and dressing stick to alleviate uncomfortable stretching that some tasks require.

Arthritis does not automatically sentence you to a life of dependence on others. In many cases, the level of independence you can achieve is limited only by your willingness to "get moving" and to approach some of the same old tasks a new way.

© Copyright 2009 Dynamic Living, Inc.
Dynamic Living Newsletter may only be redistributed in its unedited form. Written permission from the editor must be obtained to reprint or cite the information contained within this newsletter.

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