Since May is National Arthritis Awareness Month in the United States, we thought it would be a good idea to cover this important topic, especially considering that 58.5 million adults in the US have been diagnosed with arthritis. And this number is expected to rise to 78 million by 2040, thanks to an aging population.
While there are more than 100 different types of arthritis, the team here at Neuropathy & Pain Centers of Texas is going to focus on degenerative forms of the disease, such as osteoarthritis (OA) and post-traumatic arthritis. Not only are these joint diseases degenerative and progressive, but they’re also incurable, so management is critical.
With that in mind, here are 5 smart ways in which you can contain your degenerative arthritis and maintain your quality of life.
Technically, a joint is where bones meet, but it’s the connective tissues that really do a lot of the heavy lifting. So, if you have a degenerative form of arthritis, it means that the protective cartilage inside the joint is breaking down, causing extra friction between your bones.
While humans can’t regenerate cartilage easily, you can take the pressure off of the bones in your joint by strengthening surrounding muscles. For example, if you have knee OA, beefing up your quads and hamstrings can help relieve the pressure and the degenerative processes inside these large joints.
Your bones and joints are designed to carry a certain range of weight, and when you exceed that, it places far more pressure on your joints. In turn, this can speed up the breakdown in your joints and lead to premature wear and tear.
So, a great way to quite literally take a load off your joints is to shed unhealthy pounds.
Just like those of the Tin Man, our joints can become stiffer and lose elasticity when they aren’t used, causing a loss of range of motion. So, a great practice is to move around as much as you can to keep blood and resources flowing and your joints gliding.
And if a walk is out of the question because of achy knees, try something else, such as swimming or cycling. You can move around in many ways that won’t do more damage to your arthritic joints.
Another great way to take the pressure off your joint is to make sure it has good support. For example, if you’re dealing with post-traumatic arthritis in your ankle, it’s a good practice to wear an ankle brace.
We acknowledge that there’s a hurdle to much of what we recommend here — arthritis pain. So, before you even get started on exercise and strengthening strategies, it’s an excellent idea to see us first.
Once we determine the extent of your arthritis and your discomfort, we can discuss strategies to relieve your pain so you can embark on longer-term management strategies. We offer a wide range of pain management treatments for arthritis, such as joint injections, that can relieve the pain and inflammation so that you can move more freely.
To create a more individualized plan for managing your degenerative arthritis that suits your health, your goals, and your lifestyle, please call or message one of our offices in Waco, Arlington, Wichita Falls, or Fort Worth, Texas, today to set up an appointment.
