If you’ve been diagnosed with arthritis, you might find that life has been harder to navigate. Experiencing chronic pain can feel impossible to manage – and it might even be keeping you from engaging in some of the activities you love. No one should have to make sacrifices because they’re in pain, which is why today, we’re going to delve into tips for managing arthritis. While there’s no cure for arthritis, practicing certain treatments can help significantly.

Arthritis is a strikingly common condition in the United States. In fact, according to the CDC, over 54 million Americans are diagnosed with it. Of those, about 24 million suffer from severe joint pain that limits their ability to fully function.

Arthritis occurs when a person experiences joint disease or swelling around the joints. It can be extremely debilitating – according to the CDC, it’s actually the leading cause of work disability, costing about $303.5 billion a year in health care costs and lost income.

Arthritis is not a singular condition. In fact, there are over 100 types of arthritis or related conditions, with varying levels of pain and different plans for treatment. In some cases, Arthritis occurs as a degenerative condition, in which symptoms worsen over time. In others, it’s an autoimmune disease, in which a person will experience frequent ups and downs, pain that flares up and goes away at random. If you have arthritis, it’s important to understand the type you’re experiencing, so you know how to provide yourself with the best possible care.

The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis, or OA. For a long time, doctors believed Arthritis to be caused by wearing down joints over time. In fact, it’s actually a joint disease.

The Arthritis Foundation reports that over 27 million Americans are affected by OA. OA is a degenerative Arthritis, so it worsens over time. It can be caused by injuries, age, joint injury, or obesity. It can also be inherited, so check your family’s history to find out if OA runs in your bloodline. OA most commonly occurs in a person’s 50’s, and women are more susceptible to the condition than men.

Not everyone with OA experiences the same symptoms, but common symptoms include sore joints, poor coordination, and stiffness (especially in the morning). Because OA is degenerative, these symptoms will worsen as time goes on. You might find that your joints are aching when you’re active – and you don’t have to be running on the treadmill. It’s possible that your joints will be in pain after a day spent on your feet at work or even playing the piano. Your muscles might feel weaker than usual, and you may even experience joint instability or buckling, like your knees giving out. If you notice the sound of a “crack” every time your joint is bent, you might have OA.

OA can be felt in the hips, fingers, feet, or knees. In the hips, the pain is usually felt in the groin or rear, or inside knees and thighs. If you have OA in your knees, you might feel a scraping feeling whenever you move them. In your fingers, bone spurs will cause swelling, redness, and tenderness. You might also experience particularly bad pain around your thumb. In your feet, your big toes will feel tender, and your ankles and feet might swell.

The effects of this pain can be debilitating. According to Arthritis.org, “as OA gets worse, cartilage may get uneven edges and cracks. Bones may harden, change shape, and get bumpy. Once the cartilage breaks down, it doesn’t grow back on its own.” Over time, you might find it more difficult to move and you could even experience falls. Arthritis.org reports that people with OA experience 30 percent more falls than people without it. This is because of weakened muscles, side effects from medications, and poor fine motor skills. Falls mean an increased chance of fractures, breaks, or even head injuries. 

If you are worried that you might have OA, make sure you see a doctor right away. That way, you can rule out any other problems, and begin treatment as soon as possible. The doctor will numb the area of pain and take fluid through a needle, which she will test for infection or crystals. This will help the doctor to identify the exact type of arthritis you might have. You’ll also receive an x-ray to look for joint damage, and possibly an MRI.

If you go to the doctor and receive a positive diagnosis for OA, there are ways to treat the pain. In addition to taking any prescribed medications, it will be essential to engage in movement and exercise. That way, your muscles and joints will be strengthened to fight the condition. At the same time, exercise will help to fight the stiffness in your joints. The doctor will likely recommend range-of-motion exercises, in which you keep your joints moving through stretches. You might also try balance exercises to strengthen your knees and ankles or strengthening exercises to build muscle around your joints.

People with OA have an increased likelihood of experiencing obesity, due to a lack of movement or exercise. Excess weight can greatly exacerbate OA. Obesity, of course, also leads to a myriad of other health issues, such as diabetes and heart disease. This is why it’s so important to exercise as much as possible – just make sure to consult your doctor about the best types of exercise for you.

You never want to overwork your sore muscles or feel like you’re torturing yourself. Your doctor should have an idea of exercises that you can handle, that will help you to fight off weight and lessen your pain. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, a person with OA should exercise at least 150 minutes a week. 

For help with exercising, you can always consider physical therapy. A physical therapist will help you perfect a series of helpful exercises designed to fight against Arthritis. He can also provide handy assistive devices like shoe inserts, that will make walking much more comfortable. Finally, a PT will help you to stay on track with that 150-minute work-out goal. You can get much of your exercising done at the PT’s office, and not have to worry about it too much when you’re back at home.

In addition to exercise, it’s important to watch what you’re eating. It’s common for a person with OA to suffer from diabetes – so do what you can to control your blood sugar levels and avoid foods with high glucose. This will keep your cartilage from breaking down, weakening, or stiffening.

You can also make sure to practice gentle stretching – like raising and lowering arms and legs or going on daily walks. Make sure not to push past the pain – you don’t want to cause more damage to your joints or over-do it. Simple, light movements can work alongside carefully planned exercise to strengthen your joints and keep your muscles from stiffening.

Believe it or not, stress can make OA worse. Be sure to practice self-care, so you can avoid unnecessary or debilitating stress that will put your body at risk. Whether you’re listening to podcasts or music, taking hot baths, or engaging in a hobby like reading or drawing, find something that helps you to feel relaxed. The more relaxed you feel, the more relaxed your joints will feel, too.

Worst comes to worst, you might turn to surgery to fight the pain. Replacing damage joints can drastically improve mobility and decrease pain. Hip and knee replacements are the most common surgeries performed on OA patients. Speak with your doctor about whether surgery is the best answer for you.  

The second most common type of Arthritis is Rheumatoid Arthritis, or RA. About 1.3 million Americans suffer from RA, usually between the ages of thirty and sixty. Unlike OA, RA is an autoimmune disease – so the immune system is actually attacking the joints and causing them to swell. While it’s unclear what causes RA, some doctors believe it has to do with an immune system confused by an infection or virus – attacking healthy joints instead of sick ones, leading to inflammation. With RA, the immune system specifically attacks the joints, causing swelling and tissue damage.

According to Healthline, a person with RA has a 60% increased chance of heart attack or stroke after a diagnosis. That’s because RA can actually attack a person’s heart lining, and cause swelling throughout the entire body. At the same time, similarly to OA, people with RA might be reluctant to exercise, and experience excessive weight gain.

There are treatment plans for RA, that can help you to achieve a state of remission, so you can feel more like yourself again. In addition to taking prescribed medication, it’s important to implement diet and exercise changes.

Like with OA, it will be important to consult a physical therapist to help you create an exercise plan that works for you. Exercises like water aerobics, water therapy, and strength training are especially common. Water exercises can work wonders on relaxing stiffened muscles and reducing swelling around joints. Just make sure you follow careful exercise instructions from your doctor or PT, so you don’t accidentally worsen the pain.

When it comes to diet, decreasing sugar and gluten intake and increasing fiber and omega-3’s can be extremely beneficial. Foods that are high in omega-3 include fatty fish like salmon and tuna, and walnuts, almonds, or chia seeds. Consider taking fish oil supplements and even antioxidants, like Vitamin A, C, or E. A change of diet can actually reduce inflammation of your joints, which will provide a great sense of relief to your body.

Another common type of Arthritis is Psoriatic Arthritis. It affects people who suffer from Psoriasis, a disease that causes swollen and inflamed skin. The skin might look patchy, scaly, and reddened – especially around the elbows, knees, scalp, groin, and rear. They might also experience swollen toes and fingers, and discolored fingernails. Joint swelling can occur in many joints or be isolated to just one or two – such as a joint in just one knee. The pain can become quite severe, so treatment to manage symptoms is crucial. This condition is equally prominent in men and women, and usually occurs between the ages of 30 and 50.

Other symptoms include back pain, caused by an inflammation of joints in the spine, foot pain caused by swelling in the ligaments attached to the bone, and deformities in hands and feet. You might even notice the deformities before you are suffering from joint pain.

A person with this disease might also experience eye inflammation, inflamed bowels, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, or heart disease. It’s essential to maintain a healthy diet and exercise, in order to avoid worsening symptoms.

Psoriatic arthritis is caused by the immune system attacking healthy cells and the body overproducing skin cells. This disease often runs in families – so a person whose parents have suffered from psoriatic arthritis are more likely to be diagnosed themselves. 

Make sure to engage in a treatment plan to avoid eventual disability, even if your pain isn’t too severe. Start by meeting with a rheumatologist for an evaluation of symptoms, and to begin a treat-to-target treatment plan.

No matter what type of arthritis you have, it’s important to engage in a treatment plan right away. That way, you’ll reach a point of remission where your pain feels manageable, and you can hopefully go back to doing the activities you love. Remember to follow your PT’s exercise plan and eat a healthy, low sugar, diet.  With the right treatment, you should feel like you have your life back on track.

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