Living with arthritis in your back can be challenging. This condition can cause high levels of back pain, and it can cause symptoms like stiffness, swelling and grinding sounds. Unfortunately, there’s a pretty good chance that you could end up with back arthritis. In fact, one Korean medical study reports that this condition affects about 18% of their population.
There are steps you can take every day to live a better life with back arthritis. Surprisingly, none of these steps involves no moving at all. However, this is a common reaction to arthritis. There are three tips that can be especially helpful for daily life with back arthritis.
What are three tips that can help me live better with back arthritis?
Arthritis is a progressive condition, and it has no current cure. But making adjustments to some areas of your life can make a major difference when you’re living with back arthritis. Three tips that can help you make beneficial adjustments for back arthritis are:
- Find ways to lose weight — Adults with arthritis also tend to be overweight or obese. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 39 million adults with arthritis are also struggling with obesity or being overweight. Losing just a little weight can take a lot of pressure off your back. Research shows that every pound you add to your body places an extra 10 pounds of pressure on your lower back when you bend over. Conversely, losing the same pound removes 10 pounds of pressure.
- Eat more antioxidant-rich foods — Antioxidants are molecules that help block free radicals that increase inflammation. Foods like leafy green vegetables and berries are high in natural antioxidants. Eating more foods like these could lead to a drop in your arthritis inflammation. One medical study reported that patients who ate foods high in antioxidants were able to significantly reduce their joint inflammation and pain in just 10 weeks.
- Attend regular physical therapy sessions — One goal of physical therapy is to get you moving again. It’s also intended to help reduce pain and other arthritis symptoms. Studies show that physical therapy is very successful at helping patients reach these goals. One study reports that physical therapy is just as good as back surgery at treating lower back pain. The study also claims that physical therapy leads to fewer complications for older patients.
Excel Sports & Physical Therapy can help you live better with back arthritis
Are you looking for physical therapy that can help you live better with back arthritis? Our Excel Sports & Physical Therapy team is primed to assist you. We offer free screenings that can help us learn how arthritis is affecting your back. Using this information, our team can create a personalized treatment plan for you that’s intended to reduce your symptoms.
Don’t wait to start getting our help with your arthritis. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.
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