It's possible to live with arthritis. Here's how.

May is National Arthritis Awareness Month. Arthritis is a big deal. Upwards of 60 million people in the United States are affected by arthritis, and as of now there is no cure. It’s a disease in which the joints become inflamed, swollen, and painful. In many cases joints can degenerate to the point of becoming nearly useless. But that doesn’t have to happen. In most cases you can manage arthritis with a combination of medical care and lifestyle. And it so happens arthritis prevention and management has been a specialty of mine for a couple of decades. It all started with my dad. My dad had both forms of the condition, osteo and rheumatoid arthritis that came on in his 30s. He had it bad, so bad that despite his efforts to stay mobile, he required a wheelchair for years.

I was a young exercise physiology graduate student when he told me he didn’t think his physical therapy was helping much. He asked me if I had any ideas. A flood of stuff came to mind but I wasn’t sure any of it would be better than what he was already doing. So I did a bunch of research and tried out my ideas on my dad. I designed an exercise program around what he was able to do; stretching, light weights, seated and some cases standing cardio. I put him in the 90-degree water of the summer Gulf and the equally warm water of his condo’s pool. Together we put together an anti-inflammatory diet he could actually enjoy eating. 

He was a foodie, so it needed to be delicious.

After just a few months, he was able to get out of the wheelchair and use it as a walker part of the day and combined with some new meds from his doctor he eventually spent most of the time walking with the aid of a cane. He was a test study of only one subject but at his urging I presented my exercise and lifestyle protocol to the National Arthritis Foundation. 

Their scientists liked it and my protocol was included in the Arthritis Foundation’s instructors manual, PACE, People With Arthritis Can Exercise. Turns out information I compiled and the protocol I designed eventually became part of the standard for helping to manage arthritis. Since then there has been a ton of research supporting and refining a lifestyle approach to living with Arthritis.

There are over 100 conditions grouped under the definition of arthritis. Osteoarthritis, the gradual degeneration of the cartilage padding around joints causing inflammation and pain is the most common. It can eventually lead to the need for joint-replacement surgery. Autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis (RA), lupus, fibromyalgia, gout, and psoriatic arthritis are also included. Causes and symptoms vary, but there are a few lifestyle practices that can help prevent or manage all of them.

• Exercise. It may sound counterintuitive when you’re in pain but the old adage holds. If you don’t use it, you lose it. At times when you are not having a flare up, low-impact exercises such as light, cardio dance, aquacise, walking, biking, and swimming, help maintain joint stability and exercises such as Tai Chi, yoga and stretching promote flexibility and range of motion.
• An anti-inflammatory food plan like the Mediterranean Diet loaded with antioxidants and omega 3s is one of the most valuable lifestyle practices available to you. It can make a huge difference in your joint health and your wellness and longevity in general. Studies prompted by the observation that people who live in countries that eat a Mediterranean diet have fewer cases and reduced severity of arthritis. This is a mostly plant-based diet. The fruits, berries, veggies, nuts, and beans are naturally anti-inflammatory and full of antioxidants. Fish such as salmon and mackerel are high in omega 3s, often prescribed to help reduce inflammation. Added sugar, like sweets, not found in foods themselves, should be kept to once in minimum. It triggers inflammation and stiffness. Each type of arthritis can be addressed by tweaking the Mediterranean food plan.
• Stay hydrated. The National Arthritis Foundation recommends drinking about 8-10 cups of water a day. That’s around 2.5 liters. It helps flush out toxins and keeps your joints lubricated.
• Sleep is one of the most important and often one of the most ignored lifestyle practices. Your brain needs a ½ hour of sleep for every hour awake to process memories. People with arthritis often have trouble sleeping because of pain. According to the Arthritis Foundation, as much as 80% of people with arthritis have sleep issues. Finding a comfortable position or two is key, and coming up with ways to pad and prop yourself is very personal.
• Healthy weight management goes a long way toward relieving pressure on your joints. For every pound of weight you lose you get you 4 pounds less pressure on your knees.
• Stress management relieves joint inflammation along with stress.
• Non-smokers have less joint inflammation.

So if you have any form of arthritis, you already know it’s going to be a lifelong issue. But in most cases a combination of medical treatment and lifestyle can help you live a normal happy life.