The Power Within… Just Change Your Mind

Ouch, My Hands Hurt!

In the midst of one of my “gonna get stuff done around the house Sundays” I found myself weeding our front planters, attempting to free them from the wild grasses that have taken over the last couple of summers and now my right hand really hurts. The truth is, my hand has been somewhat sore the last couple of weeks which I’ve been blaming a shampoo bottle (that’s almost impossible to squeeze) and the fact that I’m playing golf again. I’m wondering that the soreness brought on by all of these gripping activities isn’t the beginning stages of arthritis. I searched through my stash of articles, knowing that I’ve had to have written about this topic before, only to find nothing; which is really crazy, because we discuss it so often with members and staff in regards to designing and supervising exercise programs for people with arthritis.

Arthritis means joint inflammation. Arthritis refers to a group of more than 100 rheumatic diseases that can cause pain, stiffness and swelling in the joints. These diseases may affect not only the joints but also other parts of the body, including important supporting structures such as muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments. The two most common forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid. Osteoarthritis is the most common affecting about 16 million Americans, while rheumatoid arthritis affects about 2.1 million and is the most crippling.

Factors that have been found to contribute to the onset of arthritis include trauma to the joint, overuse of the joint, aging, obesity, inactivity, gout, diabetes and other hormonal disorders. Obesity is a huge contributor to arthritis; in fact it is the second most powerful risk factor behind aging.

Fortunately, there is pain relief from arthritis in a variety of forms and it all depends on the severity and symptoms the individual has. Short term relief includes; medications, heat and cold therapy’s, joint protection, mild electronic stimulation pulses (usually done through physical therapy), massage and acupuncture. Because the different forms of arthritis are lifetime diseases there are also more long-term medications that can help relieve pain symptoms. Weight reduction has been shown through research to substantially reduce the development of osteoarthritis in knees. Also exercise, like swimming, walking, low-impact aerobics, range-of-motion exercise and stretching may also reduce joint pain and stiffness.

There are ways you can help protect yourself against getting arthritis. Maintain your ideal body weight, move your body, stand up straight, use your big joints and muscle groups when lifting and carrying, pace yourself against repetitive use, listen to your body when it is telling you that it is hurting, don’t be static (changing positions regularly will decrease the stiffness in your muscles), don’t be a weekend warrior (don’t do activities that your body isn’t used to doing on a regular basis), wear proper protective equipment, ask for help when the activity is too difficult.

The Arthritis Foundation recommends that active range of motion exercises (these are movements without additional weight, i.e. arm circles, leg lifts) be performed 1-2 times daily. During flare-ups, remember to move slowly and gently and not to push beyond your point of discomfort. Warm environments encourage better blood flow, therefore allowing for better flexibility. Strength training may or may not be advised by your physician or therapist. Flexibility should be done every day and often more than once a day, however strength training should be done two to three times per week in order to assure adequate recovery. Strength training should be increased with gradual resistance and be kept slow and under control. Aerobic exercises are also very important and need to be done three to five times a week up to 20-30 minutes and never beyond your point of pain discomfort.

I don’t know if I have arthritis, I sure hope that I don’t, but the onset of my hand pain fits into a few of the listed categories above. So I’ll keep an eye on it, manage it and definitely use it as an excuse to not have to weed anymore! “Hey kids, guess what outside project mom has for you to do today! (smile)”

Deborah Holmes

July 1, 2008