Tips to Treat Arthritis

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% of those are over age 65. In fact, if you live to age 85, you have almost a 50% chance of getting arthritis.

Arthritis has as many as 100 different types, including rheumatoid arthritis, crystal arthritis and those connected with autoimmune diseases. Osteoarthritis is the kind that affects most seniors and is frequently linked to old joint injuries from excessive weight or accidents. People often blame sports injuries for their arthritis. While that’s often true, the right exercises can be key to managing arthritis pain.

Felicia S. Yang, M.D., a rheumatologist with Sutter in Berkeley and Castro Valley, says a combination approach to chronic arthritis management often succeeds with most of her patients.

“The best approach to treating arthritis is determining the underlying cause and selecting the right medications or procedures that target that type of arthritis,” she explains. “However, regardless of the underlying cause of arthritis, all patients with arthritis will benefit from physical therapy, heat and ice application and topical relief measures to ease pain and discomfort.”

To start your arthritis self-care plan, Dr. Yang 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 (many places offer classes for seniors) in a heated pool.

Gentle weight-bearing exercise helps, too. “Don’t underestimate the benefits of strengthening the ligaments and muscles to provide more support,” Dr. Yang says. “Walking can be excellent exercise even when you have hip, knee or foot arthritis, especially when the painful extremity can be ‘helped with a cane or trekking poles. If you receive physical therapy (PT), use your PT appointment to learn how to protect your joints with a home exercise program, and stick with it! The key to physical therapy improvement is practicing what you learn daily.”

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. Yang says. “On the other hand, ‘no pain, no gain’ is outmoded in this case.”

Maintain a Healthy Weight

If you're overweight, losing just a few pounds relieves pressure on your joints, which 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 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, a senior physical therapist at Sutter 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.”