1. Don't Neglect Your Rest
If you have osteoarthritis, your joints are going to let you know if you're overusing them. Once you feel that telltale aching, throbbing or stabbing pain, you'll know it's time to give your worn-out joints a break. With osteoarthritis, the more you use your joints, the more you're going to wear them down, so be sure to provide them with generous down time. With rheumatoid arthritis, you're going to be fatigued anyway, due to the over-activity of your immune system. Therefore, be sure to get plenty of rest and relaxation so that you can make the most of your brief periods of energy.
2. Be Sure to Exercise
Just because you have arthritis, that doesn't mean you can just sit down and never move again. Getting enough exercise is just as important as getting enough rest. The old saying "use it or lose it" is especially true in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. If you don't exercise and use your joints, your muscles will atrophy and your tendons and ligaments will freeze up, further limiting your movement. Weight-bearing exercises to strengthen muscles and increase bone mass are a vital part of your regimen, as are stretching exercises. Gentle stretches will keep your muscles loose and your joints limber by taking you through your full range of motion on a regular basis.
3. Take Your Medicine
Any kind of arthritis brings some pain along with it. Untreated, this pain can make it difficult for you to cope and go about your regular daily activities. Further, untreated arthritis will continue to destroy joints and make you tired, particularly in rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore, it is essential that you take a regular pain killer or anti-inflammatory medication, as well as a disease-modifying medication to stop the progress of the disease and to help you cope on a daily basis.
4. Get Devices to Assist You with Your Daily Activities
Having arthritis can make it difficult to do mundane things you previously took for granted, such as opening a jar or putting on your shoes. Even buttoning your shirt can become a challenge. Fortunately, there are many devices available to assist you in performing your daily activities on your own. Assisstive devices allow you to modify your life to deal with the arthritis without giving up your independence. You can find assistive devices through your rheumatologist, through the Arthritis Foundation and in publications dealing with arthritis and similar health conditions.
5. Maintain a Positive Attitude
Attitude is everything. It can make a huge difference, not only in how you feel, but in your overall prognosis. People who maintain positive attitudes and look to the good things in their lives generally do better physically and mentally in dealing with arthritis. In most cases, the symptoms of people with positive outlooks are less severe, their incidence of total disability is smaller and their levels of pain are lower than those of people who are gloomy. A positive outlook helps a person find joy amidst adversity and allows them to get on with living their lives to the fullest, knowing that they will find a way to do whatever they want to do, regardless of their joint issues.
