Did you know almost 59 million U.S. adults have arthritis? That’s a lot of people suffering with mobility, pain and other concerns. There are ways to cope, and resources available through your TRS health plan to help.
Most Common Types of Arthritis
While arthritis can affect anyone, it’s more common in women. Your risk also increases as you age.
There are more than 100 types of arthritis, but the two most common types are osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). OA occurs when the tissue protecting the end of your bones breaks down. It most typically affects the hands, hips and knees.
RA is an autoimmune disease that causes your body's immune system to attack the lining of your joints. The symptoms for OA and RA are similar, with stiff and painful joints at the top of the list.
How to Manage Your Arthritis
While there’s no cure, there are ways to treat your arthritis.
Treatments, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), include medication, non-drug therapies such as physical therapy or patient education and sometimes surgery.
There are many things you can do on your own to manage your arthritis and its symptoms. Here are five top strategies from the CDC Arthritis Program:
Learn new self-management skills. Join a self-management education workshop to help you learn how to manage your arthritis and make healthy decisions.
Be active. It’s a myth that working out with arthritis will do more harm than good. The Arthritis Foundation calls exercise the best non-drug treatment for reducing pain and improving movement. This is especially true for people with OA. Recommended exercises include:
walking
jogging
elliptical
water exercises
stretching
Talk to your doctor. It’s important to get an accurate diagnosis as soon as possible after having symptoms. That way, you can start treatment right away, work to minimize your symptoms and prevent the disease from getting worse.
Manage your weight. Losing excess weight and staying at a healthy weight is important. If you’re overweight or obese, losing weight can reduce stress on joints, especially your hips and knees. Losing as little as 10 to 12 pounds can make a real difference to improve pain and function.
Protect your joints. Choose activities that are easy on the joints like walking, bicycling, and swimming. These low-impact activities have low risk of injury while limiting the stress on your joints.
Eating healthy may also help with symptoms by reducing pain and stiffness and encouraging good joint health. Focus on:
Incorporate Omega-3s found in foods like olive oil, fish, walnuts and fish-oil supplements. Omega-3s have been found to help with pain and joint stiffness.
Cruciferous vegetables and fruits like broccoli, kale, cherries and strawberries contain antioxidants. These can reduce inflammation and help maintain joint health.
Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
Avoid eating too much fat and sugar and drinking alcohol.
Resources for TRS-Active Care and TRS-Care Standard
Well onTarget®
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Resources for TRS-Care Medicare
SilverSneakers®
SilverSneakers is more than a fitness program. It’s an opportunity to improve your health, gain confidence and connect with your community. Plus, it’s included at no additional cost in your TRS-Care Medicare Advantage plan. Get started today by visiting SilverSneakers.com/StartHere.
Let's Move by UnitedHealthcare
Let's Move by UnitedHealthcare is here to help keep your mind, body and social life active. With simple resources, tools, events and personalized support, Let’s Move helps you explore ways to eat well, stay connected and be financially, physically and mentally fit — all at no additional cost to you. To explore, visit letsmovebyuhc.com through your member website.
Virtual Events
You can also participate in live, virtual events to learn how to cook healthy meals, be physically active and explore other wellness topics by visiting the events page.