Managing Daily Activities

If you have arthritis, you probably know by now that leading an active life can become a lot harder. Swollen, tender joints can turn even the simplest tasks — dressing, washing or brushing your hair — into a real challenge. Feeling tired and drained of energy only makes things worse. And that’s when you’re most at risk of injuring and permanently damaging your joints.

Preparing a meal, sitting down to dinner with your family, planning an activity with friends — these are just some of the things that make life enjoyable. Activities can lose their zest, though, if you have to constantly take care to avoid hurting painful joints.

Let’s face it: Arthritis imposes all kinds of barriers to daily living, and to break down those barriers you’re going to need help. To make your life easier — to make a full life possible — you’re probably going to have to make some changes. That’s what this information is all about: learning how to change the way you do things, and understanding some guidelines that will help you choose the right tool for the task ahead.

This page was last reviewed/updated on : 02/23/2008