8 Ways To Manage Arthritis Symptoms In Senior Patients
With age, our susceptibility to diseases such as arthritis increases. Arthritis is one of the most common medical conditions in the country. However, the type of arthritis a person develops can depend on their specific symptoms.
Arthritis is associated with the weakening of joints and can be of several different types. The most common one affecting a large number of adults in the country is osteoarthritis. However, a person may have rheumatoid arthritis or any other kind as well. If you or a loved one is experiencing any symptoms, it is best to get them checked to have an idea about the condition you have developed.
While arthritis can be of different types, the symptoms can be managed by following some simple steps and making them a part of your life.
Here, we have gathered some simple arthritis management strategies that help with your symptoms. However, make sure to get yourself checked to determine the severity of your condition before applying any of these methods. After all, you can have other medical conditions interlinked with this pain, so your doctor might prescribe you a different course.
1. Exercise
While you may think that because you are in pain, exercise is not right for you, it is the opposite. Exercise will help you strengthen your muscles, but depending on the level of pain, you may have to tweak the workout activities if you have arthritis symptoms.
However, you should not indulge in an intense workout because it can cause additional pain to your joints. Lighter exercises will help minimize the pain by improving your physical and mental health as well.
2. Walking
The reason behind not making ‘walk’ part of ‘exercise’ is because you may need both. If you don’t like to exercise, a daily walk can also be helpful. You do not have to jog or run, but walking can be extremely beneficial to your condition.
Additionally, you can always tag along with someone and make your walks more enjoyable. If you have a park around the corner, take a morning walk and end it with 10 minutes of light exercise, which will be a great start.
3. Visit Your Doctor
As mentioned above, you need to be sure as to what type of arthritis you have, and for that, you should consult a doctor. However, when you are creating your monthly schedule and incorporating all or some of these strategies, you also need to have some space for regular check-ups.
By doing so, you will be able to keep track of the improvements you have made while also making sure that everything is okay. Hence, keeping your physician in the loop is very necessary.
4. Stress Management
While you need to ensure that you don’t put extra stress on your joints, relaxing your mind and keeping it stress-free is also an important part of the solution. Overthinking kills – this is not just a phrase, but a sad reality as well. You cannot get a healthy body if you do not have a healthy mind. You can try different techniques, with yoga being one of them to increase peace in your life. Furthermore, you can take part in care-free, fun activities where you can release stress and feel young again.
5. Control Your Weight
Being overweight or obese is not just a problem if you have arthritis, but a severe issue in every manner. Several diseases can occur because of being overweight. When it comes to senior healthcare, obesity is indeed one of the things that need to be worked on. This is especially true when it comes to managing arthritis symptoms because your body weight will be an added burden for your joints, which they may not be able to hold. If you do not want your condition to get worse, start working on this from today.
6. Using Hot or Cold Water
This remedy may work for some with cold water and some with hot water. Depending on the type of pain and its intensity, you can benefit from hot or cold-water treatment. It can be done using heating pads, a warm pack, a swim in the pool, or a warm bath.
Whatever method suits you best, make sure that the temperature is not extreme as it can hurt your joints.
7. Acupuncture
While this may not be a very popular way to relieve arthritis symptoms, many arthritis patients have benefitted from acupuncture. If you know an experienced acupuncturist, there is no harm in trying. It is true that putting pressure on certain parts of our body does help with healing from pain. Hence, it can be a way to manage arthritis symptoms too. However, we suggest that you consult with your physician before opting for acupuncture.
8. Hire a Caregiver
After going through all the strategies, you might be thinking it is a bit too much to handle. From visits to the doctor to exercise and stress management, it can be a lot to take in at once. That is why it is important to hire a caregiver for the elderly with arthritis. While hiring a caregiver helps with senior healthcare in general, it becomes even more important if someone has arthritis symptoms. They can make a daily schedule for you, take care of your daily house chores, and accompany you or help you participate in all the activities you need to.
Treating the elderly at home with great care is our responsibility. Our parents invest their whole lives to make our future better. Even if you are at a stage where your life is hectic, you can take care of them by getting a home health aide. If you have noticed arthritis symptoms in your aging parents, or if you are generally concerned about their wellbeing, give us a call today at 718-461-9602 or drop an email at [email protected] so that we can take the process forward.
