Make No Bones About It: Managing Arthritis While Staying In

Most Indians suffer from arthritis as they grow older and staying active is very important. Here’s expert advice on managing arthritis from home.

Did you know that arthritis affects almost 15 per cent of people in India? That its occurrence is higher than diseases such as diabetes, AIDS and cancer? Arthritis, the inflammation of one or more joints resulting in pain and stiffness, is a familiar problem among older adults and it worsens with age. Keeping up with bone and cartilage health becomes hard to manage quite often as one ages, especially at a time of a pandemic when most of us are locked indoors and hardly physically active as before. Here’s Dr Pradeep Kocheeppan, consultant arthroscopy and sports medicine surgeon at Apollo Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore, on managing arthritis effectively from within the four walls of our homes.

Osteoarthritis is more prevalent among seniors

Dr Kocheeppan points out osteoarthritis to be the commonest form of arthritis among older adults which is different from some forms of inflammatory arthritis. It progresses with age, usually quite slowly over a period of a decade, transitioning from mild to moderate to severe.

Exercise outdoors, Dr Kocheeppan believes. Covid-19 pandemic has makes physical activity for seniors different but not impossible.

“Covid-19 is a droplet-based close contact disease which does not spread in open-air places which are not crowded. Such places can always be used for remaining active physically during the times of pandemic. Physical activity is extremely essential for maintaining muscle mass and this is applicable to all, with or without arthritis. After 40, muscle reduction becomes invariable if strength training is not done. The loss of muscles increases beyond 60 and when joints are affected by arthritis, one experiences the loss of controlling muscle strength. The knee quadriceps and hamstring muscles usually start getting weak. Hence, it is important to at least go out for a walk with masks on, covering nose and mouth, to keep muscles active. Anyone not doing 5,000 steps a day runs a huge risk of losing heart and lung capacity along with muscle endurance,” explains Dr Kocheeppan.

Find a safe space to walk at least 5000 steps a day

Tips on training muscles from home

Muscle training from within the four walls could be effectively done using various kinds of resistance bands. The use of these bands strengthens muscles both eccentrically and concentrically.

You may go out for your daily walk with adequate protection to a non-crowded place. If you want to do the same in and around your home, keep a walking counter with 5,000 steps aim and add resistance band based exercises for knee and shoulder muscles and floor exercises for core muscles.

Exposing oneself to the sun and natural elements is equally important as otherwise, the body immunity reduces and the body does not get adequate vitamins.

“Those with arthritis may get badly hit if kept indoors. Muscles will reduce with age and will reduce rapidly if people do not walk and do not add resistance training to the indoor immobility period. Hence, indoor exercise is a must for them,” says Dr Kocheeppan.

Any kind of exercises which are joint mobility specific would help. Each joint has a different set of mobility and strength exercises. For example, knee exercises focus on the range of movement of the knee, including full straightening called extension and full bending called flexion. You must work on maintaining full range of movement if available to avoid disease progression.

Ways of treating arthritis pain

Do not rely on painkillers daily. Instead, you may opt for Viscosupplements, Platelet- Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy, and more. These are injections given to the knee in mild cases of arthritis both for pain relief and to reduce the rate of wear and tear.

Diet planning, cutting down calories and weight management is very important. Having a diet rich in Vitamin D, E and B12 is good for bone health. Daily exercise and specific physiotherapy also help.

Plant extract of Boswellia, Curcumin and Coerip based herbal products do show a reduction in pain among people with arthritis. However, these are not for unlimited and continuous use beyond three months.

A multimodal approach towards arthritis by eating the right food and keeping oneself physically active can efficiently help in managing the condition.