Arthritis Living With How to Prevent an Arthritis Flare Up By Carol Eustice facebook Carol Eustice is a writer covering arthritis and chronic illness, who herself has been diagnosed with both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Learn about our editorial process Carol Eustice Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Scott Zashin, MD on October 11, 2020 linkedin Scott J. Zashin, MD, is board-certified in internal medicine and rheumatology. He was a volunteer clinical professor of internal medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School Dallas. Learn about our Medical Review Board Scott Zashin, MD on October 11, 2020 Print Once you have experienced an arthritis flare up, you won't ever forget it. We have defined an arthritis flare and explained how to manage a flare up when it does occur. But, the best course of action is to try to avoid an arthritis flare altogether. While these tips come with no guarantee that you will never have another flare, they are common sense actions which we too often ignore for one reason or another. Being mindful of these tips should, at least, cut your chance of having a flare up. Gary Burchell/Taxi/Getty Images Be Compliant With Your Treatment Plan Once your doctor has established a treatment regimen for you, stick with the plan. Don't skip your medications or other treatments. It is important to keep inflammation and pain under control. Skipping medications gives your body a chance to flare up, allowing pain and inflammation to increase. Arthritis can be likened to the embers of a fire, smoldering and looking for an opportunity to re-ignite. Don't knowingly help it ignite. Keep Moving But Pace Your Activities Doctors recommend that arthritis patients keep moving in order to maintain range-of-motion in their joints and muscle strength. But, at the same time, it is important not to overdo activities. Overdoing activities and ignoring physical limitations can provoke a flare up. The advice to pace your activities seems unbelievably obvious, but the desire to not be held back by arthritis makes it hard to do. Find the balance that keeps you moving at a reasonable pace. Protect Your Joints It is important for us not to stress our joints or add extra burden to the mechanics of our joints, especially those already affected by arthritis. Following a few simple principles can help us protect our joints, and by doing so, decrease pain and inflammation and the risk of a flare up. Reduce Stress Stress has a negative impact on arthritis. Just about anyone you know with arthritis will tell you that stress of any kind worsens their arthritis symptoms. Certainly, life is not without stress. Sometimes it is beyond our control (e.g., death of a loved one, losing a job, divorce). But other times, we have more control. We should do what we can to simplify our lives, organize, conserve energy, and develop an attitude of acceptance. Cutting stress may help to cut the risk of an arthritis flare up. Get Enough Rest and Sleep Getting a decent amount of rest and sleep is important for people with arthritis. We need to rest our bodies even more than the average, healthy human. Don't take this advice too far—we are not supposed to become sedentary in our lives. We are supposed to strike a balance between rest and activity that will help improve our overall health. Disrupted sleep, especially on a regular basis, seems to increase pain and the risk of a flare up. This can be tough to get a handle on, because it's a vicious cycle at times, with arthritis causing sleep disruption and sleep disruption making arthritis worse. Stay Away From Foods That Make You Feel Worse The effect of diet on arthritis has been disputed for years. Some claim there is no direct effect, while others claim certain foods increase inflammation and make arthritis symptoms worse. This is likely the most individual tip of all those listed. If you are aware that certain foods make your arthritis feel worse, steer clear. This will not be the case for every person with arthritis, but if it does apply to you, don't eat foods that trigger inflammation. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Dealing with chronic inflammation? An anti-inflammatory diet can help. Our free recipe guide shows you the best foods to fight inflammation. Get yours today! Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit