Arthritis is a chronic disease that is more common in women than in men. And in women, there is still a significant chance that you will develop it as a younger adult even though it’s more common in older people. As it’s chronic, however, that means it’s not going anywhere. So, we’re going to look at how you can learn to live with it.
Managing your pain
Most kinds of arthritis bring with them a lot of pain. Your doctor should be your first stop in getting medication and topical creams, but it’s a good idea to learn what exacerbates and what can ease the pain, too. Physiotherapy can help you find the exercises, for instance, that will lessen pain. The pain can also be helped by other therapeutic treatments that break painful mind-body interactions like hot and cold applications or relaxation therapy.
Healthy living is more important than ever
Your daily health is vital, but with arthritis, the impact becomes easier to feel than ever. Just as the right or wrong exercises can adjust your levels of pain, the same is said for your diet. Weight puts more pressure on your joints, meaning overweight women are likely to feel even more pain. Fatigue is a common side-effect of that pain, which means that using things like audio-based therapy and sleep apps to get a good night’s rest is more important than ever too.
The question of money
When arthritis starts making a big impact in a woman’s life, then it affects more than her domestic life. It affects her professional life, which means that her methods of income are at risk. Teams like Osterhout Berger Disability Law can be instrumental in ensuring that money concerns don’t become too serious. If your arthritis makes it impossible to work, or even reduces how many hours you can reasonably work, then you should be able to apply for social security benefits.
Finding a social life again
When you first start feeling the effects of arthritis, it’s easy to retreat into yourself and try and stop doing anything that can exacerbate your pain. But socializing and good mental health has been shown to reduce the sensations of that pain. Finding your social life again might mean joining groups around hobbies that involve less physical impact, or taking more care while enjoying what you used for. For instance, if you want to dine out, you can. If your hands are affected by arthritis, bring your own utensils instead. If it affects your hips, don’t be afraid to ask for a chair with arms.
Take time to relax
That socializing is important because stress and arthritis have a symbiotic relationship. Mental stress leads to physical stress which increases the burden on joints and causes more pain. That pain, in turn, can lead to more stress. Spending time with company, using therapies that help you relax, and even meditating can be good ways of breaking that cycle.
Arthritis can have a deep impact on your life, but it shouldn’t stop you from being able to live as happily and comfortably as you can manage. Hopefully, the tips can help you face some of the challenges this chronic condition will throw at you.
