Jump to content

  • Set Your Location
  • Sign in or Enroll
Set Your LocationSet Your Location
  • Sign in or Enroll
    • Open I want to choose my medical group or hospital
    • Clear my location
Change Location
Sutter Health
  • Video Visits
  • Find Doctors
  • Find Locations
  • Treatments & Services
    • Video Visits
    • Find Doctors
    • Find Locations
    • Treatments & Services
    • COVID-19 Resources
    • Pay a Bill
    • Symptom Checker
    • Get Care Today
    • Health & Wellness
    • Classes & Events
    • Research & Clinical Trials
    • For Patients
    • About Sutter Health
    • Giving
    • Volunteering
    • Careers
    • News
    • For Medical Professionals
    • Other Business Services
Close Search
  • Home
  • Health and Wellness
  • Senior Health
  • Tips to Treat Arthritis
Content

Tips to Treat Arthritis

Pain medications are just one approach. Here’s what else to do to stay healthy and active with arthritis.

Jennifer Trizuto

Contributor

Jennifer Trizuto

Mills-Peninsula Medical Center

One in five adults in the United States struggles with some form of arthritis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 62 percent of those are over age 65. In fact, if you live to age 85, you have a nearly 50 percent chance of getting arthritis.

Arthritis encompasses as many as 100 different types, including rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and gout. Osteoarthritis is the kind that affects most seniors and is often linked to old joint injuries from excessive weight or accidents. People often blame sports injuries for their arthritis, but paradoxically, the right sports can be key to managing arthritis pain.

JaNahn Scalapino, M.D., a rheumatologist with Sutter Medical Group in Sacramento, says a combination approach to chronic pain management often succeeds with most of her patients.

“Multimodal arthritis pain management is best,” she explains. “We consider the right combination of medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, physical modalities such as heat and ice application, and topical relief measures to develop an individual approach to arthritis pain.”

To start your arthritis self-care plan, Dr. Scalapino recommends these tips.

Exercise

Low-impact physical activity, particularly in water, is one of the most effective ways to control pain and increase range of motion. Water’s buoyancy lets you exercise with less impact on joints. Start with an aquatics class (including classes for seniors) in a heated pool.

Asian couple lifting weights

Gentle weight-bearing exercise helps, too. “Don’t underestimate the benefits of strengthening around joints,” Dr. Scalapino says. “Walking can be excellent exercise even when you have hip, knee or foot arthritis, especially when the painful extremity can be ‘unloaded’ with a cane or trekking poles. If you receive physical therapy, use your PT appointment to learn how to protect your joints with a home exercise program, and stick with it!”

Listen to your body as you exercise and seek help or make changes if it seems to make your pain worse, not better. “The benefits of general conditioning are great,” Dr. Scalapino says. “On the other hand, ‘no pain, no gain’ is outmoded in this case.”

Maintain a Healthy Weight

Even a few less pounds on your joints affects daily comfort and your ability to stay active.

Talk to Your Doctor

All medications, including over-the-counter drugs, can have serious side effects if not taken correctly. Partner with your doctor to find the right level of medication to adequately control your pain. Also ask your doctor about supplements, topical therapies or stress reduction techniques to complement your medications.

Learn Self-Management Strategies

Fatigue, sadness and a loss of control can worsen pain and lower your quality of life. Consider taking a class on arthritis self-management techniques. You’ll not only learn helpful tips and skills for living well with arthritis, but you’ll also gain support from others facing the same issues.

“Classes explore different facets of living with arthritis and how to take charge,” says Jennifer Trizuto, senior physical therapist at Mills-Peninsula Medical Center who teaches arthritis self-management. “You learn techniques to better manage fatigue and pain and even cut down how often you need to visit your doctor.”

Enlist Your Mind

It may take some trial and error to craft the best pain management plan for you, so don’t become discouraged and give up if your pain is not as well-controlled as you would like.

“Pain has both a physical and a mental component,” Dr. Scalapino says. “Learning cognitive-behavioral techniques, meditation, yoga and mindfulness can help reduce your perception of chronic pain. It is never too late to take a more mental approach to managing chronic pain and reducing dependence on medication.”

Related Articles

  • Stay on Your Feet!
  • Eat Right to Slow Aging
  • Chemical Dependency in Seniors
  • Slow the Aging Process
  • Loneliness in Seniors
  • Exercise Benefits for Seniors
The Sutter Health Network of Care
Expertise to fit your needs
Primary Care

Check-ups, screenings and sick visits for adults and children.

Specialty Care

Expertise and advanced technologies in all areas of medicine.

Emergency Care

For serious accidents, injuries and conditions that require immediate medical care.

Urgent Care

After-hours, weekend and holiday services.

Walk-In Care

Convenient walk-in care clinics for your non-urgent health needs.

  • Contact Us
  • Find Doctors
  • Find Locations
  • Request Medical Records
  • Make a Gift
Sign in to My Health Online

Billing and Insurance

  • Pay a Bill
  • Accepted Health Plans
  • Estimate Costs
  • Medicare Advantage

About Sutter

  • About Our Network
  • Community Benefit
  • Annual Report
  • News

Our Team

  • For Employees
  • For Medical Professionals
  • For Vendors
  • For Volunteers

Careers

  • Jobs at Sutter
  • Physician Jobs
  • Graduate Medical Education

Copyright © 2023 Sutter Health. All rights reserved. Sutter Health is a registered trademark of Sutter Health ®, Reg. U.S. Patent & Trademark office.

  • ADA Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • LinkedIn Opens new window
  • YouTube Opens new window
  • Facebook Opens new window
  • Twitter Opens new window
  • Instagram Opens new window
  • Glassdoor Opens new window

Cookie Policy

We use cookies to give you the best possible user experience. By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. Privacy Policy Cookie Preferences

Privacy Policy Cookie Preferences