Arthritis Living With How to Prevent Progression of Arthritis By Jonathan Cluett, MD twitter linkedin Jonathan Cluett, MD, is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with subspecialty training in sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery. Learn about our editorial process Jonathan Cluett, MD Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by David Ozeri, MD on May 08, 2020 linkedin David Ozeri, MD, is a board-certified rheumatologist from Tel Aviv, Israel specializing in arthritis, autoimmune diseases, and biologic therapies. Learn about our Medical Review Board David Ozeri, MD on May 08, 2020 Print Osteoarthritis, commonly referred to as wear-and-tear arthritis, is the most common form of arthritis, affecting over 30 million Americans. Persons diagnosed with osteoarthritis often worry about the progressive nature of the disease and wonder if they will one day end up needing joint replacement surgery. By making changes in your life, however, you may be able to avoid this outcome. Here are four fixes that can help. Rick Gomez / Getty Images Lose Weight Obesity is one of the most significant contributing factors to arthritis progression. The cause is relatively simple: the more stress you place on already damaged joints, the greater the inflammation will be. Over time, this can further deteriorate the structural integrity of the joint, increasing pain and interfering with a person's mobility and range of motion. By losing just five to 10 percent of their body weight, people will often experience dramatic relief of their arthritis symptoms. While exercising with painful joints can be difficult, there are a number of fitness routines that are well suited for people with arthritis. These focus on three exercise components: Range-of-motion exercises done dailyStrengthening exercises performed every other dayEndurance exercises done for 20 to 30 minutes three times weekly Weight loss will likely involve changes in your diet, including the reduction of saturated fats, the moderate intake of carbohydrates, and the avoidance of excess salt, sugar, and alcohol. A dietitian may be able to help tailor a sustainable, well-balanced diet plan to trim those extra pounds. Modify Your Activities The rule is simple: if you feel pain when doing an activity, it is not good. While you can often strengthen certain muscles to help bolster painful joints, you shouldn't push yourself excessively. In the end, you may do more damage than good. There may be times when you will need to modify your routine activities to preserve the mobility that you have. For example, impact sports may be something you enjoy, but the damage they can cause may help accelerate the progression of arthritis. If faced with this reality, try to focus on finding low-impact activities you enjoy, such as cycling, swimming, kayaking, cross-country skiing, rowing, rollerblading, Pilates, and yoga. Trading in the running shoes for a NordicTrack may be tough, but will allow you to build up a healthy sweat without needless stress on your ankles, knees, and hips. If, on the other hand, you live a more sedentary lifestyle, you may want to start by meeting with a physical therapist. A therapist can teach you how to safely stretch and strengthen vulnerable joints and provide you with a structured program to gradually move you into routine exercise. How to Exercise Safely When You Have Arthritis Use Anti-Inflammatory Medications Arthritis is defined as the inflammation of the joints. Therefore, it makes sense to do whatever you can to reduce the inflammation that will accelerate joint damage. If your doctor has already prescribed medications to treat chronic joint pain, take them as directed. If not, and the pain is affecting your mobility or keeping you up at night, speak with your doctor about prescription and non-prescription options. Among them: Analgesics are used for pain relief and include Tylenol (acetaminophen), prescription opioids, and an atypical opioid called Ultram (tramadol).Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used to ease both inflammation and pain and include aspirin, Advil (ibuprofen), Aleve (naproxen), and Celebrex (celecoxib).Corticosteroids are powerful anti-inflammatory drugs injected directly into the inflamed joint.Hyaluronic acid occurs naturally in the body and can be injected into a joint as a shock absorber and lubricant. Effective Treatments for Osteoarthritis Use a Supportive Device People with arthritis will often avoid walking aids, which may make them feel old and frail. But the fact is that people who do so often walk less because they are either unsteady on their feet or afraid to place weight on a swollen joint. As such, avoiding these devices can make your condition worse. Supportive devices are no longer limited to canes and walkers. People with knee arthritis can sometimes turn to a device known as an unloader brace, which selectively relieves pressure on the most damaged side of a joint. There are even rolling walkers (rollators) that allow you to move more freely without the fits and starts of a standard walker. While these newer devices won't work for everyone, it may be worth speaking to your doctor to see if they are the appropriate choice for you. Mobility Aids for People With Arthritis A Word From Verywell Having arthritis may mean that you need to take some steps to prevent pain or manage stiffness, but it doesn't necessarily mean you have to have surgery or other invasive treatments. Many people take steps to manage their arthritis and prevent the condition from worsening. Often, with some simple treatment and prevention steps, people with arthritis can learn to manage symptoms so that they can remain in control. 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 Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Osteoarthritis (OA). Updated January 10, 2019. Bliddal H, Leeds AR, Christensen R. Osteoarthritis, obesity and weight loss: evidence, hypotheses and horizons - a scoping review. Obes Rev. 2014;15(7):578-586. doi:10.1111/obr.12173 Arthritis Foundation. Benefits of exercise for osteoarthritis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Healthy eating for a healthy weight. Updated April 12, 2019. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Physical activity for arthritis. Updated November 8, 2018. Arthritis Foundation. Analgesics. Arthritis Foundation. Picking the right NSAID for OA pain. Arthritis Foundation. Use of corticosteroids in osteoarthritis. Bowman S, Awad ME, Hamrick MW, Hunter M, Fulzele S. Recent advances in hyaluronic acid based therapy for osteoarthritis. Clin Trans Med. 2018;7(1). doi:10.1186/s40169-017-0180-3