In partnership with the Ad Council, the Arthritis Foundation is continuing their Fight Arthritis Pain campaign and encouraging all Americans to Move to Improve on and around World Arthritis Day on October 12, 2012. Did you know that arthritis is the nation’s leading cause of disability? One in every five adults has arthritis; that’s 50 million people in the US and 27 million of them have osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis.
My husband was diagnosed with a mild case of Arthritis in his knee due to an old injury and surgery. To avoid further damage to his knee and joins, he exercises his knee on a regular basis. Throughout the day he stretches his joins, walks around the office and does sit down stretching techniques. He has learned to manage the pain by cooling his knee using ice packs. He also decided to lose some weight to help easy the stress on his joins.
Check out some tips for managing Arthritis recommended by the Fight Arthritis Pain:
- Chill out: Cooling down a painful area prevents nerves from signaling pain to the brain. Try a freezer pack you’d use in a cooler, a back of frozen veggies or even a storage bag filled with ice cubes. Apply two to four times a day for 15 minutes.
- Go for a walk: Walking is one of the easiest, least expensive ways to get moving. Try it solo or with a group of friends to keep you motivated. The Arthritis Foundation’s Walk With Ease program can help you get started.
- Stand up straight: Your mom was right, good posture is important. Compensating for a sore joint can cause pain elsewhere. A physical therapist can observe how you sit, stand and walk and teach you how to adjust your posture to counteract the pain.
- Mind Your Moves: You’ve heard the “rules” about how to lift and carry properly — follow them. Lift objects with your largest and strongest muscles; use both arms to carry items, don’t hold them with your fingers or wrist.
What do you do to reduce join damage? While there is no cure, the Arthritis Foundation wants to encourage all Americans to take simple steps that will help to reduce pain, increase mobility and slow osteoarthritis progression.
For more information please visit the Arthritis Official site or at Arthritis Facebook Page or on Twitter using #WorldArthritisDay.
Disclosure: All thoughts and opinions are my own. No compensation was received.
