Tips on Dealing with Arthritis
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When we were kids,
arthritis seemed a million years away. It was an old person's disease. Maybe
not as funny (at the time) as hemorrhoids or back hair, but still, an
affliction not to be worried about for a while.
But then we got older.
Nowadays, those knees just don't seem to work as well as they did in high
school. Maybe that tennis elbow has turned into something more chronic. What
happened? You're not old yet!
Well, no, you're not, but
that doesn't matter. Arthritis may be more prevalent in the elderly, but one in
three American adults suffers from some form of the disease, and that includes
spring chickens like you.
Arthritis comes from the
Greek word arthron, which means "joint," and the Greek suffix
-itis, which means "swelling." It's not actually an affliction but a
general term for a group of over 100 diseases associated with joint swelling,
stiffness, and pain.
One of the better-known
types of arthritis is osteoarthritis, in which the protective pads at the ends
of the bones, called cartilage, wear away, so that the bones rub against each
other. Another common form is rheumatoid arthritis, in which the immune system
accidentally wages war against your joint lining, causing swelling. Then
there's gout, in which an excess of uric acid causes small, sharp crystals to
form on the joint, causing intense pain.
There are scores of
treatments and medications for these diseases, and it's best to get a doctor
and a physical therapist involved if you think you have a serious problem.
However, there's plenty you can do now to prevent arthritis from setting in, or
to keep that annoying elbow injury from blossoming into full-tilt, debilitating
arthritis later in life.
- First thing you
can do is eat right with an eye on losing weight. The heavier you are,
the more stress you put on your joints. And the more stress you put on almost
anything in your body, the quicker it wears out.
- As long as
you're eating right, why not throw a workout in there? Exercise helps
with arthritis in so many ways, it's not even funny. It can both relieve pain
and prevent further injury. Strengthening exercises can build the muscles
around a weak joint to help keep it stable. Aerobic exercise can help with that
weight loss we mentioned earlier. Range-of-movement exercises, many of which
are also aerobic, can keep affected joints mobile and comfortable in a wider
range of positions.
Keep in mind that arthritic joints are operating
in a weakened state, making them somewhat more fragile, so if you'd like to
build up strength or really work on range of movement, a physical therapist
will be able to make suggestions that won't potentially cause further
damage.
- In order to keep
joints from going arthritic, it's important to take care of minor
injuries, no matter how hard you want to "work through it." Even the
smallest of twists, sprains, or strains can, if not looked after, leave scar
tissue, which can increase the chance of the joint's becoming arthritic.
- So before you
even begin exercise, prevent these injuries from happening by warming up,
cooling down, and taking time to stretch at least once a day. When an
injury happens, allow it to heal, and make sure to keep stretching. Keeping
muscles loose and comfortable can prevent the formation of scar tissue. That
said, don't overdo it. Don't stretch before working out and don't stretch to
the point of discomfort. An overstretched muscle doesn't offer support to the
joint, and that can lead to further injury.
A final important aspect of
exercise for the arthritis sufferer is that it makes you feel good. As I said,
most of us think of this as an old person's disease—and no one wants to
get old. By lifting those weights or going for those walks, we're keeping
ourselves young and keeping our bodies useful. So if you think it might be
happening to you, take it head-on and get yourself healthy. See a doctor, start
eating right, and get up out of that La-Z-Boy! It won't be as easy to fix as
that back hair, but it'll be far more rewarding. |
