These simple tips from people with arthritis and other experts will help you tackle daily tasks with less pain and frustration.
Often it’s the most mundane daily tasks that create the greatest frustrations of living with arthritis – buttoning a shirt, washing dishes, driving, climbing stairs and having to stop and rest when you don’t want to. The good news is that with some fore-thought and ingenuity, there are less painful ways to do just about anything. Here are some tips from experts and fellow readers to make every day with arthritis a little easier.
morning
START YOUR DAY
Set your electric blanket or heating pad to come on shortly before you wake to help loosen stiff joints.
Stretch before you get out of bed. A stretch-out strap ($9; amazon.com) can help stretch lower limbs.
BRUSH YOUR TEETH
An electric toothbrush does a more thorough cleaning with less work than a manual brush, and the thick handle is easier to grasp.
Spare sore hands by using a pump-style toothpaste dispenser, or squeeze the tube with your palm, fist or elbow.
SHOWERING
Have a push-button soap and shampoo dispenser mounted in the shower.
Bathing mitts ease scrubbing, and long-handled brushes and loofahs can get to hard-to-reach spots.
Try a combined shampoo and conditioner. On tough days, use dry shampoo.
Throw your towel in the dryer before you shower or get a towel warmer to warm joints while you dry off.
HAIR CARE
Use a hair dryer mount or a salon-style bonnet hair dryer for hands-free drying.
Ease brushing with a spray-on detangler. Use long-handled brushes or combs, and slide foam sleeves over handles to make them thicker and easier to grasp.
A shorter cut can reduce styling needs, and certain cuts, like a “messy” or blunt cut, can add volume to thinning hair, which can be a side effect of some arthritis medications.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September/October 2018-Ausgabe von Arthritis Today.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September/October 2018-Ausgabe von Arthritis Today.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
11 Ways to Build Resilience
Discover ways to overcome adversity and put a positive spin on any setback.
Why Timing Matters
CIRCADIAN RHYTHM MAY INFLUENCE DRUGS’ EFFECTIVENESS.
THE ENEMY WITHIN
UNCONTROLLED INFLAMMATION UNDERLIES MANY CONDITIONS COMMON IN PEOPLE WITH ARTHRITIS. LEARN HOW TO TAMP IT DOWN.
Power of Positivity
POP STAR PAULA ABDUL’S JOYFUL OUTLOOK KEEPS HER DANCING PAST THE PAIN.
Men Who Care
MORE MEN ARE TAKING ON THE TOUGH JOB OF CAREGIVING.
How to Pick the Right Mattress
IT CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR YOUR SLEEP AND YOUR PAIN.
A Doctor's Advice
FOR DR. TRAVIS STORK, A SIMPLE TOE INJURY LED TO ARTHRITIS AND BACK SURGERY.
GOOD (FOR YOU) DEEDS
HOW HELPING OTHERS HELPS YOU.
Eating to Ease Gout
WATCHING WHAT YOU EAT MAY REDUCE FLARES – UP TO A POINT.
Bad Isn't Always A Catastrophe
EXAGGERATED FEARS MAY HEIGHTEN PAIN.