Arthritis
Arthritis encompassing many different conditions that can affect a person’s joints, across all ages. Types of arthritis include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis. One thing that all type of arthritis have in common: pain.
The following are online resources provided to you for learning more about your diagnosis of arthritis, as well as management of the disease:
· American Arthritis Foundation
· American Centres for Disease Control – Rheumatoid Arthritis
Tips for Joint Health
We have included some helpful tips to protect your joints as you go throughout your daily activities. These principles are important to remember, if you are trying to preserve joint function and prevent future joint damage.
1. Always respect your pain limits and do not work beyond them
2. Avoid positions where your joints will be in a deformed position
3. Use the strongest and largest joint available to complete the task at hand
4. Avoid staying in one position for too long
5. Avoid gripping objects too tightly
6. Maintain good body positions and postures by using proper moving and handling techniques
7. Keep the strength and flexibility of your muscles through regular activity
8. When possible, try to distribute loads over a larger surface area of the body
9. Reduce the amount of work you need to expel to complete a task by asking for help or using assistive devices/ technology
10. When completing tasks, try to do so with your joint in the most stable position possible.