Cooking, cleaning, gardening, putting away groceries. These daily tasks aren’t always so simple if you suffer from osteoarthritis pain and stiffness. But by taking precautions, you can minimize the discomfort created by common household duties. Read on for expert advice and devices to help you take care of your home and your joints...
With severe osteoarthritis symptoms, you can’t take everyday activities for granted. The degenerative condition – in which damaged cartilage leads to joint pain and stiffness – can turn even simple household chores into an uncomfortable ordeal.
So how do you handle jobs that others do without even thinking? By using body-friendly movements and labor-saving devices, and pacing yourself, experts say.
“You’ll save yourself a lot of pain by performing a task properly,” says David Borenstein, M.D., president of the American College of Rheumatology in Washington, D.C., and author of Heal Your Back (M. Evans & Co.).
Osteoarthritis symptoms affect joints from your neck to toes. Before starting a chore, determine if it will involve joints that give you the most trouble, he says.
If you’re prone to osteoarthritis knee pain, for example, it may flare during tasks that require walking or kneeling. Shoulder pain is more likely to kick in when reaching for items, for example, while cooking, sweeping or mopping.
But osteoarthritis pain shouldn’t mean shirking chores entirely. Staying physically active – not just with traditional exercise but also by doing household tasks and gardening – helps your body handle everyday movements more easily, according to a January 2011 study published in Arthritis & Rheumatism.
Read on for tips to getting household tasks done effectively and efficiently, without worsening osteoarthritis symptoms.
1. Prevent arthritis pain when bending.
Common chores: Unloading and loading the dishwasher, washer and dryer; washing dishes; picking up items from the floor; making beds; ironing; cleaning under furniture; cleaning low objects such as a sink.
When doing repetitive tasks, like loading or unloading the dishwasher, it’s tempting to bend forward at your waist. But that puts pressure on the discs in your lower back, known as “shear forces,” which can contribute to back pain and stiffness.
Bend properly: Avoid bending at the waist, Borenstein advises.
“Use your hips and knees to lower yourself instead,” he says.
Also, don’t bend over repeatedly, says Katrina M. Vlachos, M.D., an orthopedic health and rehabilitation specialist for DISC Spine and Sports Center in Marina del Rey, Calif.
“Empty a few dishes at a time and then take a break,” she suggests. “Then take out the silverware basket and empty it while sitting or standing.”
Lift things right: “Back muscles are relatively weak compared with leg muscles,” Borenstein says.
That’s why you should bend your knees and lift objects with your legs.
When lifting a package – for example, a bag of groceries or basket of laundry – hold it close to your body. That brings the weight closer to your center of gravity, resulting in less stress on the back.
Also, make sure you know the weight of whatever you’re lifting.
“If you think a box is empty and it’s actually very heavy, you can injure your back trying to lift it, resulting in tissue damage,” Borenstein adds.
You can also hurt your back if it’s too light. If you think you’re lifting something heavy but the box is empty, you’ll recruit all your muscles to lift it – and all that energy is transferred to your spine, which can also cause a strain, Borenstein says.
Keep your body straight while reaching down: When picking up small items off the floor, use what physical therapists call a “golfer’s lift.”
Keep both legs straight. As you bend forward, raise the leg opposite your outstretched arm behind you. (Your upper body and outstretched leg will be parallel to the floor, forming a “T” shape with your other leg.)
Give it a rest: When cleaning objects low to the floor, limit yourself to 15-20 minutes at a time. Then get up and walk around to keep your muscles from tightening, says Vlachos.
2. Prevent arthritis pain when kneeling.
Common chores: Washing floors, cleaning low cabinets, scrubbing tubs and showers.
Osteoarthritis symptoms in your knees can make kneeling painful, but several approaches may help.
Keep your knees cushioned: “Use soft knee pads,” Vlachos suggests. They’re available in sports, gardening and some hardware stores.
Kneel on one knee: Bring the other foot out in front in a modified lunge; switch knees often to minimize pressure.
“And use your ‘good leg’ – the one that hurts the least – to lift yourself up when you’re ready to stand,” Borenstein says.
Take frequent breaks: Get up and walk around a couple of times each hour to prevent stiffness in your legs, suggests Vlachos.
Use ice: If your knees are sore after kneeling, apply an ice pack or bag of frozen peas for 20 minutes to reduce inflammation, Vlachos recommends.
Sit when possible: Crouch on a low stool instead of kneeling while gardening, for example, says Borenstein.
When gardening, leave enough room between rows of plants for the stool. This also helps you avoid twisting and hurting your back while trying to maneuver between them, Borenstein says.
3. Prevent arthritis pain when reaching.
Common chores: Putting on clothes, fixing your hair, reaching for objects while cooking, grabbing items out of kitchen cabinets and shelves.
If you’ve noticed osteoarthritis symptoms in your shoulders, reaching overhead to do your hair or take things out of a cabinet can cause more pain and stiffness, says rheumatologist Joseph Markenson, M.D., professor of clinical medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York.
“If you have osteoarthritis of the spine and neck with pain that radiates down to your hands, avoid lifting anything overhead,” he advises. That kind of osteoarthritis pain could indicate you’re putting pressure on the nerves.
To get things done without lifting or reaching:
Make objects easily accessible: Place items you regularly need in a mid-height cupboard or on a counter.
Use a step stool: By putting your head at the same height as the object, “a stool improves your mechanical advantage when you’re reaching for something or have to lift it,” Vlachos says.
Just make sure the stool is steady and you have something to hold on to. A fall could worsen osteoarthritis symptoms.
Use grabbing or reaching tools: These handy gadgets – the PikStik Pro is one example – are often available in housewares stores or online.
4. Prevent arthritis pain when walking or pushing.
Common chores: Vacuuming, mopping, sweeping, pushing a lawnmower.
Make vacuuming easier: Choose a lightweight vacuum cleaner that requires less dexterity and strength, says Borenstein. And make sure it has an on/off switch you can operate with your foot to avoid bending over.
Find a vacuuming technique that doesn’t aggravate your pain points, Borenstein advises.
“You may find it’s easier to put [the vacuum] in front of you instead of using it off to the side, where you’re relying more on your arms,” he says. “However, if you have osteoarthritis pain in your shoulders, using it on the side may be a better choice.”
Vacuum only a few rooms at a time or per day and take breaks.
“Take your time, take small steps and keep the vacuum cleaner close to your body,” Vlachos says.
Align your body: Keep your head up and spine straight, with arms in a relaxed position. Switch arm movements often to vary the stress – for example, alternate a side-by-side motion with figure-8s.
Use a push broom if you have back pain: This will keep you from twisting your back, which you might do with a flat broom.
5. Prevent arthritis pain when standing for long periods.
Common chores: Cooking, folding clothes, waiting in line.
Standing in one place for long periods can worsen pain and stiffness, says Vlachos. “It may seem counterintuitive, but movement is actually helpful for easing osteoarthritis pain.”
That’s because muscles are contracted when you’re standing, leading to a decrease in blood flow and oxygen (which help reduce inflammation), Borenstein says. You’re also putting constant stress on lower-body joints.
To keep your osteoarthritis symptoms in check:
Limit standing time: Set a timer to go off every 15-20 minutes. If you’re standing in line, have a friend hold your place.
“Walk around for about 5 minutes before going back to it,” Vlachos says.
Take a load off: Alternate activities that involve standing with ones that involve sitting to minimize the stress on joints.
For example, while preparing food, “alternate chopping while sitting and stirring while standing,” Borenstein says.
Keep a stool handy: Stand with one foot on the stool, and alternate feet frequently, says Borenstein. This more relaxed stance will help reduce back pain, he says.
Stand softly: Wear shoes with well-cushioned soles and stand on gel or anti-fatigue mats to reduce joint stress, suggests Vlachos.
6. Prevent arthritis pain by giving yourself a break.
Don’t take everything on yourself – delegate tasks among family members or ask for help from friends when needed. If you can afford it, hire a professional cleaner to take on difficult jobs.
And never do more than your body can handle, Vlachos says.
“Even if you’re having a good day, don’t clean your whole house or walk a mile to the store just because you feel you can,” she says. “It’s a surefire recipe for pain.”
For more expert advice and information, visit our Osteoarthritis Health Center.
Linda Melone, a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), writes frequently about fitness for Lifescript.
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