Preventing More Damage

Your doctor may recommend a combination of treatments to prevent further damage to your joints and reduce your discomfort. These can include medication, use of heat or cold, weight management, exercise, and therapy. While you can't prevent your risk for getting arthritis such as inherited genes, gender, or past injuries you can take advantage of factors you can prevent. 

One factor in preventing further joint damage is getting early treatment. Research has shown that you will help yourself more with early treatment than if you wait. Your doctor may prescribe physical or occupational therapy and not medication as the first step. The therapist can teach you how to make a movement or complete a task in a manner that is less taxing to an arthritic joint. This is a way to avoid further injury to that joint and less pain in your daily activities. Your occupational therapist might also give you suggestions about tools that you can use that may make certain tasks easier. Tools such as a jar opener, cane, walker, phone dialer, buttoner and sock puller can be helpful in getting everyday tasks done while minimizing your pain.

A second important factor in preventing joint damage is to control your weight. Think of it in this way: pounds put on in your 20s and 30s can build up years of pressure on your joints. Imagine sitting with a 30 pound weight on your neck for the next 20 years. That would increase joint stress in every joint below that extra weight: your neck, back, shoulders and hips. This stress can cause more wear and tear on your joints which can result in osteoarthritis. Even a few extra  pounds have an impact. Being only 10 pounds overweight increases the force on the knee by 30-60 pounds with each step.

Assessing Your Risk of Developing Arthritis

If you are:

• a woman
• over the age of 60 and have used your joints in any type of repetitive motion for prolonged periods such as jogging, bending, stooping, lifting
• you’ve sustained a joint injury in an accident or fall
• you have a close relative with osteoarthritis
• you are or were overweight

Your risk of developing osteoarthritis is increased. 

If you are already experiencing joint stiffness, joint pain with movement or you wake up with joint pain in the morning, you may already have arthritis. Make a point to tell your doctor about these symptoms on your next visit. Pain and stiff joints are not just a normal part of aging that you must endure.