Simple Tips To Make Every Day Easier

These simple tips from people with arthritis and other experts will help you tackle daily tasks with less pain and frustration.

- Bryan D. Vargoasier

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.