7 Daily Habits for Better Arthritis Management

When you’re plagued by arthritis, joint pain is almost inevitable. Climbing the stairs, opening a jar, standing in long lines – all of these tasks become increasingly difficult when stiffness and discomfort overtake your body.

While medication may provide some relief, painful flare-ups are still a fact of life. Luckily, making a few modifications to your daily routine can help. See what you can start doing today to make your arthritis pain more manageable moving forward.

1. Eat breakfast at home. When you eat breakfast out, you’re more likely to start the day with fatty foods full of empty calories. Instead of settling on a grab-and-go meal with questionable nutrition, try preparing your breakfast at home. Oatmeal with nuts, whole-grain cereal with fruit and poached eggs with toast are nutritious, homemade alternatives that will keep you feeling good throughout the day.


2. Make housework more efficient. Rather than cleaning the entire house at once, create a schedule where you plan on completing one or two tasks per day. Organizing things this way will reduce the daily strain on your joints and make housework more manageable.


3. Plan in advance. When traveling, plan flights in advance to avoid peak hours and long wait times. If possible, opt for airplane seats that provide extra legroom and consider booking hotel rooms that are on the first floor or located near an elevator to avoid stairs and lengthy walks.


4. Eliminate extra work. Placing a basket at the bottom of the stairs to fill throughout the day can keep you from making unnecessary trips up and down the stairs. Just make sure you have a basket that’s easy to carry and isn’t packed too full.


5. Add some comfort in the workplace. If you spend most of the day in one position performing repetitive motions, getting up to stand, stretch or walk periodically can help reduce joint stiffness. Replacing an uncomfortable chair with one that provides proper support and repositioning your computer monitor to avoid neck pain are also great tricks.


6. Wave goodbye to stress. Ever tried meditation or yoga? Maybe you find stress relief through music or simply talking to a friend? When used in conjunction with traditional joint pain relief therapies, calming activities such as these have been found to help with arthritis management.


7. Get your beauty sleep. Aim for 8-10 hours per night to reduce pain and swelling and give your joints the rest they need. Lack of sleep can increase joint pain the next day and create a vicious cycle of discomfort. For a better night’s rest, try going to bed at a consistent time and removing distractions like TVs or computers from the bedroom.

Covenant HealthCare is the orthopaedic leader in the Great Lakes Bay Region and has the resources to help you get your arthritis pain under control. Find out what Covenant’s experienced team can do for you by scheduling a consultation with one of our board-certified orthopaedic experts today.

Find an Orthopaedic Physician Here.

Posted Date: 8/9/2016