Arthritis In Old Age: Tips To Maintain Mobility And Reduce Pain

Arthritis is a well-known disease, and thousands of people mostly of age more than 40 years suffer from it all over the world. This inflammation occurs on the joints, explicitly involving one or more joints, and is characterized by pain, stiffness, and swelling. The fact that there is no known cure for arthritis may make it seem like the disease takes away your mobility and happiness, but this is not so, as there are various methods that can help minimize the pain and boost your mobility, enabling you to enjoy an active life.

Maintaining Mobility and Reducing Pain

Here are some key strategies to manage arthritis in older adults and improve your quality of life:

Stay Active: 

Exercise is also one of the best things that any person suffering from joint pains will recommend to anyone. It assists in strengthening those muscles used in joint support and enhances flexibility while decreasing joint stiffness. It is also recommended that if strength exercises are going to be done, low-impact exercises, including walking, swimming, cycling, and water aerobics, should be engaged in.

Maintain a Healthy Weight: 

Obesity directly puts pressure on the body joints, especially those that bear body weight, such as knees and hip joints. Weight loss lowers pain and improves mobility, even if they are minor improvements yet substantial enough to improve their lifestyle.

Use Assistive Devices: 

People should not hesitate to use their canes, walkers, and grab bars to aid them in balancing and lessen inflammation in their joints. These devices will assist in enabling you to exercise independence and avoid falls. Using tools at the workplace should be ergonomic; for instance, for reaching items, you should consider purchasing tools such as a reacher or a long-handled grabber.

Joint Protection Techniques: 

Lifestyle changes can be small with a definite impact on people's frequent routines. Here are some tips:

• Pacing: Refrain from over-exerting yourself during the day's activities, and ensure you take a break occasionally, especially when sitting.
• Proper Posture: Where you keep yourself when standing, sitting, or walking – try not to cause any stress to your joints.
• Body Mechanics: Ergonomically lift objects to reduce the stress exerted on the joints or be prepared to have a sore body later. Consider certain principles; for example, always bend your knees when lifting something, and do not use your back muscles.
• Heat and Cold Therapy: Using heat pads or warm compresses on stiffening joints proves helpful in helping muscle relaxation and relieving pain. Cold packs are beneficial, especially during an inflamed condition, as they assist in numbing the area, hence minimizing pain during flare-ups.

Medication: 

There are several types of drugs that a sufferer can take to reduce arthritis pains and inflammation. These include products from the availability counter such as Acetaminophen (Tylenol) or non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen. In some instances, you may need to take other medications containing a higher caffeine concentration, as a physician recommends.

Diet and Supplements: 

Though there is no particular diet related to arthritis, a diet containing fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and fish is recommended as it controls inflammation and prevents obesity. A woman who wants to avoid having fatty deposits in her body should try and include foods that are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids (from fatty fish), antioxidants (in fruits and vegetables), calcium, and vitamin D. Find out from your doctor if you stand to reap any gains from using some supplements such as glucosamine and chondroitin.

Stress Management: 

One consequence of stress that contributes to and worsens arthritis is when it becomes chronic. Other methods include relaxation, where one can use meditation, deep breathing exercises, or even yoga to help reduce tension.

Staying Hydrated: 

Drinking water helps to keep joints and other body parts well lubricated. It would help if you tried to drink water in such amounts that it would make eight glasses a day.

Quality Sleep: 

One of the most significant challenges people suffer from is sleep, which is unhealthy if one cannot get enough restful sleep. Quality sleep is priceless, and it is recommended that one should sleep 7-8 hours a day.

Conclusion

Dr. Rajesh Malhotra is a board-certified and experienced arthritis shoulder arthroscopic surgeon in Delhi. Comprehensive for his thoroughness, he offers a mobility/symptom minimization program carried to the individual client level, enhanced surgical techniques for faster recovery, and mentioned lifestyle changes. Patients can rely on Dr. Malhotra to handle such arthritis and provide a better quality of life.