Living a normal life with arthritis

Whist the disease is not something which is going to create serious illnesses and make the person a regular visitor to the hospital, it is something which most of us could do without. The constant aching in the joints is just one of the symptoms which appear slowly. Many elder people don’t even notice it until they realise that holding a cup is difficult. It is generally thought of as a disease which affects older people as the cartilage which acts as a buffer between bones, degrades and bones start to rub against each other. However it can affect younger people as well. The people who have played sport all of their lives find this hard to accept, but that has sometimes been the reason they are suffering later.

Treatments for the sufferer

Massage, lotions and special treatment are all part of the ways of getting some pain relief from arthritis, and this can be done in a good medical therapy suite, or possibly through the national health service. It depends to some extent on how the local authority views the disease as it has no life threatening aspects – its just very painful.

What used to be a simple procedure can turn out to be very frustrating and none more so than opening packages. The way in which some manufacturers package their goods makes it difficult for the average nimble fingered person to deal with never mind those whose fingers are stiff and sometimes slightly askew. The worst sort of thing is the ‘bubble’ package which has to be opened, and has to be negotiated before finding the new item inside. The answer is to have a good pair of scissors handy, but then using those can be awkward as well. There may be an answer to this packaging problem but when an elderly person has to struggle to open a packet of crisps, something must be wrong somewhere. Of course the manufactures will point to food hygiene and say the packet has to be well sealed, so its out with the scissors again!

The best advice around

Some of the advice from the associations dedicated to their cause is excellent and when a arthritic person reads the information, they will start to see there are ways round the problems which occur on a daily basis.

Use larger, stronger joints – push doors open with your shoulder rather than your hand and/or use your forearms/elbow joints to pick up items.

Spread the weight of an object over many joints and use both hands to carry your shopping or use a shoulder bag.

Avoid gripping things too tightly – hold items as loosely as possible or expand your grip with padding.

Shift rather than lift items – slide heavy pans along a kitchen unit.

Consider flexible working – starting earlier or later in the day to avoid the rush hour.

Try not to sit in the same position all day – take regular breaks and move around.

A good employer would have an occupational therapist, or would have one recommended. That person can help in suggesting adjustments to your work pattern such that neither you nor the employer loses out.

Getting on with your life

So there is good advice around, and the thinking behind this advice is for it not to get the better of you. When something happens which is related to advancing years. The tendency is to think, well that’s that then, and have a negative approach. This is not helpful and dealing with the situation as with any problems is much better than not dealing with it. By taking a positive approach there are ways, as described here, to help continue in a similar lifestyle, if not exactly the same. Unfortunately its not something which is going to go away and it is recognised as being difficult to treat. The arthritis pain relief options on the market are not exactly numerous, and some don’t work at all. Massage is a good way of keeping the muscles fluid, and a certain amount of exercise is known to be of benefit. All these things put together can add up to living with the disease and getting on with your life, rather than letting it dictate what you can and cannot do.