Arthritis management

Arthritis and tools you can use

By Timothy Redd

I attended a webinar that focused on reaching people with arthritis and offering strategies and tools for arthritis management. I learned quite a bit about arthritis. Did you know?

• About 1 in 4 (54 million) adults have arthritis.
• More than half of adults with arthritis (32 million) are of working aging (18-64 years).
• Nearly 60% of adults with arthritis are women
  

Arthritis means joint inflammation. About 1 in 4 (54 million) adults have arthritis. More than half of adults with arthritis (32 million) are of working age. Close to 60% of those with arthritis are working age and that arthritis is the leading cause of disability. The annual direct medical costs are at least 81 billion. 

The term arthritis refers to more than 100 diseases and conditions affecting the joints. The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis. Other forms of arthritis are gout, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Symptoms of arthritis are pain, aching, stiffness, and swelling in or around the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, can affect multiple organs and cause widespread symptoms. Arthritis commonly occurs with other chronic diseases. About half of US adults with heart disease or diabetes and one-third of people who are obese also have arthritis. Having arthritis and other chronic conditions can reduce quality of life and make disease management harder.

Everyday activities such as holding a cup, lifting a grocery bag, or climbing a flight of cares can all be limited by this condition.

• One third of adults over age 45 with arthritis report anxiety or depression.
• About 3 in 10 find stooping, bending, or kneeling very difficult.
• More than 20% of adults with arthritis find it very difficult or cannot walk 3 blocks.

One of the best thing recommendations for leading a better quality of life with this condition is physical activity. Physical activity can reduce pain and improve physical function by about 40%. 

There are several arthritis management education programs that can be found on the arthritis foundation website. A great one is the walk with ease program, for this particular program there is a mobile app for iPhone and Android users that you can download or you can access the program online. 

A wealth of information and support tools can also be found at the following websites:

• https://www.arthritisintrospective.org/
• www.arthritis.org
  

If you would like to person to person support you can speak to by calling 1-844-571-HELP.