With each passing year, you’re finding that moving easily is becoming a little harder thanks to achy and creaky joints. We assure you, you’re not alone in this — more than 54 million Americans report having arthritis, and this number is expected to jump to more than 78 million by 2040.
Living with arthritis certainly has its challenges, but it’s not a prison sentence that you have to accept. There are some great tools and best practices that can help you manage joint pain and inflammation and maintain your quality of life.
At Glaser Pain Relief Center in Encino, California, Dr. Jeffrey Glaser and Dr. John Zheng routinely help patients live their best lives despite having arthritis. And we feel confident that we can do the same for you if you follow some of these proven strategies for living with arthritis.
When you’re dealing with joint pain, you’re not exactly motivated to make changes in your life, even if there’s a promise of better joint health on the other side. The first order of business when you have arthritis is to relieve your pain, which can help you move more freely and remove the shadow over your mental and emotional health.
At our practice, we offer a wide range of effective tools, including joint injections, that can tackle both pain and inflammation in your joints that allow you to set the stage for longer-term joint health.
A new study on weight isn’t good news for joint health: By 2050, more than 80% of kids and adults in the United States could be overweight or obese. Extra pounds can wreak havoc on your joints and lead to premature osteoarthritis, which is the most common form of arthritis.
One of the best ways to slow the progression of degenerative forms of arthritis is to lighten the load on your joints through weight loss. We know this is easier said than done, but losing excess pounds is critical for your health and wellness, so it’s well worth your effort.
Most of your joints are designed to move, so a great joint-health practice is to add more movement to your days. Adding a simple morning or evening walk is a good start — you can begin with just 10 minutes and build up from there.
We also suggest that you use your tech to track your steps — most smartphones do this. Once you figure out how many steps you’re averaging per day, set a goal to increase that number by 10% every month until you reach the ideal goal of 5,000-10,000 steps. We can help you figure out the right goal for your needs.
The extra movement you do during the day should set you up for a good night’s sleep. To make sure you sleep well, we recommend making sure your bed is comfortable and able to support your joints properly. Old mattresses that sag can lead to poor sleep positions that cause you to wake up already behind the curve on your joint pain.
Treat yourself to a great supportive mattress, use a pillow that keeps your head in line with your spine, and make sure to sleep on your side or back and not your stomach.
If you want to prevent joint stiffness and maintain good range of motion, it’s a great practice to devote 5-10 minutes a day to stretching your body. You can even start while you’re lying in bed in the morning by stretching out your arms and legs.
Once you get out of bed, go through some toe touches, side stretches, and twists to loosen up your joints for the day. Here’s a great arthritis morning routine to get you started.
If you’d like a more personalized arthritis management plan, we’re happy to help. Through our joint treatments and your lifestyle efforts, we believe that you can move well into the future. For expert arthritis care, please contact Glaser Pain Relief Center to schedule an appointment today.
