Living with Arthritis

Our local physiotherapist, Katie Shaw has offered us some great advice to help clients who are living with Arthritis:

Remember when you were little? You thought you were invincible and would never be like your grandparents who let arthritis stop them living life to the full. Oh, those were the days!

Unfortunately, the time may have come when you are now experiencing arthritis yourself.

First and foremost, you SHOULD NOT be living in discomfort when there are lots of small changes that you could make to your lifestyle which could help. These tips should not replace any current medication you may be on nor offer a complete cure, but hopefully they will help you to live a better-quality daily life.

Although many people in their later years experience Osteoarthritis, there are actually two types of arthritis; Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis. My six top tips below can benefit both types.

• Exercise and Stretch to keep joints flexible and strengthen muscles around your joints
• Maintain a healthy weight to lessen the severity of arthritis, reducing stress on the joints
• Try ‘Cold Therapy’ by switching your shower to cold afterwards. Start with 10 seconds and eventually after 2-3 weeks, build to 1 minute. This will help reduce inflammation in the whole body (it might not be appealing, but it is very effective)
• Turmeric and the herbal supplement ‘Devils Claw’ both offer anti-inflammatory benefits
• Try a course of Acupuncture and massage to relax the muscles around the joints
• Meditation/ breathing exercises can help to manage pain and increase oxygen in the     body (Research ‘Wim Hof Method’)