Tips to Treat Arthritis

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

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.”