Staying Active Prevents Arthritic Flare-Ups in Winter
While it might be appealing to stay inside during the chilly winter season, staying active can alleviate discomfort linked to osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Why Do Your Joints Feel More Painful in Winter?
Do your joints ache when temperatures drop? Winter weather can worsen arthritis symptoms and intensify joint pain and stiffness.
“Our joints operate best in temperate weather,” said Mariko Ishimori, MD, interim director at the Cedars-Sinai Division of Rheumatology in Los Angeles. “When the weather gets cooler, the synovial fluid that acts like motor oil in our joints becomes more like sludge.”
Although experts are not sure why, they provide some reasons (Arthritis.org):
- Barometric pressure changes can cause connective tissue and bones to expand or contract. Cold, wet weather often causes swelling and tightness in joints.
- Winter chills may thicken the synovial fluid, which reduces friction and cushions the joints. Thickened joint fluid may not adequately lubricate the cartilage between bones.
- Snowy or rainy days cause people to stay indoors and remain sedentary, which can exacerbate sore joints and increase discomfort.
- Overcast skies can cause the winter blues and seasonal affective disorder, making people focus on their joint pain.
More than 100 different types of arthritis exist, but all varieties can cause inflammation and pain.
Importance of Daily Activity to Manage Arthritis
Research shows physical activity can improve overall wellness and reduce pain associated with arthritis. Exercise can also help in the following ways:
- Lowering your stress level
- Reducing anxiety
- Helping you manage your weight
- Improving your balance
- Increasing muscle strength
- Building your endurance
- Enhancing your flexibility
- Reducing your risk for falling
Staying consistent with exercise can be difficult, even on pleasant days. Wintry weather brings additional challenges, but you can still maintain your physical activity levels. Talk to your orthopedist about what type of exercise is best for you. Based on the extent of your joint damage, your physician can recommend the kind, length, intensity and frequency of exercise.
Arthritis-Friendly, Low-Impact Exercises to Keep Your Joints Limber
Low-impact exercise can provide relief for osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia and other common types of arthritis. One key factor in whether you will exercise consistently is how much you enjoy doing it.
Variety is the spice of life, so choosing low-impact activities that you can rotate will give you the best chance for success. Exercising in water can be therapeutic for joints because water activities can relieve pain and reduce the impact on knee and hip joints by 50 precent.
Here are some exercises that you can choose from throughout the year:
- Water walking
- Water aerobics
- Swimming
- Bocce ball
- Golf
- Shuffleboard
- Walking outdoors or on a treadmill
- Cycling outdoors or indoors
- Cross-country skiing
- Elliptical machine
- Pilates
- Zumba
How to Stay Healthy During Winter to Maintain Your Exercise Routine
You cannot exercise consistently if you are getting sick or not feeling well. You can be proactive with your health in many other ways.
- Wash your hands. Autoimmune diseases like arthritis can make you more susceptible to getting sick. Good hygiene and proper handwashing can prevent the spread of germs and viruses and reduce your risk for respiratory illness by almost 50 percent. Scrub your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
- Get a flu shot and update your immunizations. Being older than 65 or having a chronic condition like arthritis increases your risk for contracting the flu. Schedule a flu shot and ask your doctor about any other immunizations that can keep you healthy.
- Take daily vitamin C and D. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that fights infection and repairs tissues and bones. Working in conjunction with calcium, vitamin D helps maintain strong bones. Most people can get sufficient vitamin D from sunlight in the spring and summer, but they may be deficient in the cooler months of the year. Talk to your doctor about getting a vitamin D supplement.
- Bundle up to stay warm. Cold temperatures can cause joint pain and stiffness, but wearing weather-appropriate clothing like long underwear, gloves, wool socks and an insulated coat can help keep your joints warm and limber. About 12 percent of people who have rheumatoid arthritis also have Raynaud’s phenomenon, which can cause blood vessel spasms in the extremities. Staying warm can help prevent spasms.
- Wear shoes with good tread. Rain and snow can make roads and sidewalks slippery and increase the risk for dangerous falls that could result in broken bones, hip fractures and brain injuries. Falls are the leading cause of injury-related death in older adults, and more than one-third of seniors fall annually.
Visit Your Orthopedist to Update Your Treatment Plan
If you are experiencing chronic joint pain and you can’t get relief from nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), cortisone shots, exercise or weight loss, you should make an appointment with your orthopedist. Your doctor may want to suggest a different exercise routine or prescribe physical therapy.
Some joint pain will not improve because the wear and tear of your daily activities has deteriorated the cartilage between the joints. Total joint replacement can alleviate persistent pain caused by direct bone contact.
Total knee or total hip replacement, as well as many other orthopedic procedures, can be done at an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) instead of a hospital. Your doctor will discharge you from the surgery center a few hours after the procedure, and you can recover in the comfort of your home. Most people find they can resume their daily activities after four to six weeks.