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Health January 2013

Aid for Age

Coping with Arthritis

By Tait Trussell

Strengthening exercises, such as weight training; aerobic exercises, such as bike riding, and dancing were recommended. (I picture myself when I was in the Navy in World War II when I won a jitterbug contest at a USO. Them days are gone forever.)

ps_trussellSnake venom is not recommended for arthritis. At least not by the National Institute on Aging. Neither are those copper bracelets you see some people wearing hopefully.

Almost anyone who is in the category of a Medicare beneficiary has arthritis. If you don’t, you undoubtedly will eventually.

“Arthritis is one of the most common diseases in the United States. Older people most often have osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or gout,” says the Institute on Aging.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is most common in seniors. It begins to make your acquaintance when the cartilage, the tissue that pads bones in a joint, begins to wear away. When this happens, you wish that you hadn’t been a jogger when you were younger. But it’s not confined to the knees, of course. Arthritis pain can occur in the neck, hands, lower back, hips.

Symptoms range from stiffness to mild pain to worse pain that just won’t go away. There are means of relief, however, which you may have found. If not, I’ll list a few later.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) — as contrasted with osteoarthritis — is a kind of disease that makes the body attack itself. It causes stiffness, pain and swelling and can affect many locations at the same time. You can even run a fever with it. Women — misfortunate in other ailments — are victims more often than men.

RA also can cause heart problems, troubles with your muscles and nervous system, even your eyes.

Gout is quite painful. It occurs most often in the big toe. It usually becomes red or purple and quite tender. Eating liver, dried beans, peas and anchovies can lead to a gout attack, as can certain blood pressure medicines.

Some medicines can help with arthritis. Acetaminophen is one. NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are another. But beware of side effects of NSAIDs.

Using a cane when walking can ease the pain in the knees and hips. But the NIOA says to “make sure the cane is fitted by a professional. Don’t just borrow one from a friend.” Professional cane fitters are not prevalent. But your doctor might help.

Daily exercise, such as walking or swimming can help. It makes the muscles around the joints stronger.

Three types of exercise are suggested: Strengthening exercises, such as weight training; aerobic exercises, such as bike riding, and dancing were recommended. (I picture myself when I was in the Navy in World War II when I won a jitterbug contest at a USO. Them days are gone forever.)

NIA has created a Go4Life campaign to help you start a safe exercise program. You can learn about it by going to www.nia.gov/Go4Life. You can order in Spanish by calling 1-800-222-2225 toll free.

Acupuncture may help some people. Glucosamine and chondroitin may help, but they “seem to have no effect on changes to cartilage in the knee,” the IOA says.

Work with your doctor to safely lessen the pain and stiffness. Or contact the American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals at www. Rheumatology.org. Or the Arthritis Foundation at www. Arthritis.org.

 

Tait Trussell is an old guy and fourth-generation professional journalist who writes extensively about aging issues among a myriad of diverse topics.

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