arthritis

With summer in full swing, more people take advantage of the warm temperatures and increasing their physical activity. Whether running/walking, gardening, or even taking the family on a picnic, the last thing anyone needs are sore knees.

If I've said it once, I've said it 1685 times . . . "If you, your loved one or your patient is having a hard time doing something for themselves or getting somewhere on their own, we probably have an adaptive product to help."  

Don't let hand weakness stop you from living your life or doing the things you love.  There are products specifically designed to allow you to get the job done even if you have a limited hand function - from gardening and golfing to cooking, playing cards or using scissors.  

I'm so used to automated restrooms that sometimes I forget and hold my hands under my own bathroom faucet, waiting for the water to come on!  It slays me.

Listen up all you skiers, snowboarders, hunters, hikers, bikers, football fans, bird watchers and dog walkers.  You too, you shivering-in-front-of-the-tv wrapped in a blanky people.  You don't have to be cold!  With today's technology and a little planning you can stay warm all winter long, inside and out.

Getting older is a blessing, for sure, but even longevity has its price.  Creaky, sore joints.  Sometimes when I stand up I sound like an old rocking chair making a bag of popcorn.  And how about when it rains, or your hands get cold and you can barely bend your fingers? For some, these are just minor aches and pains, but for others they are the result of Osteoarthritis, or Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) -  the most common type of arthritis.  There are many types of arthritis, some more debilitating than others.

Arthritis is said to be the most common form of disability.  But what exactly is arthritis?  Well, it's not just one thing.   Arthritis, as a term, encompasses more than 100 medical conditions including back pain, carpal tunnel syndrom, fibromyalgia, gout and lyme disease.  The common thread is that all these conditions affect your joints.

My friends tease me about my cold hands and feet.  I mean, they are sooooo cold!  I've tried all kinds of things to warm up (even moving from Nebraska to Arizona) but I just seem to run a few degrees south of normal.  Yeah, 'boo hoo', I know, it's 70 degrees here in January and I'm complaining.

People have a real knack for improvising when it comes to getting things done.   Even when we're weak or disabled we tend to figure out a way to get those cans open, or cut that piece of meat, or finagle those blasted peas into our mouths, even if it means having someone do it for us.  We forget though, or maybe don't even consider, that there are products designed to do nothing more than make you more independent and make your life easier.  

Whether to use heat therapy or cold therapy for arthritis pain depends on the type of arthritis and the type of pain you are experiencing. Since everyone experiences and responds to pain differently, you should discuss a pain management plan with your doctor. You may have to try several things to see what works.