Housekeeping Tips For Arthritis Victims

There's no escape from household chores. We have not yet reached the era of robots in every home or a hi-tech home that cleans itself. Not all can afford a full-time maid and even if can, there remain some tasks that you like to do by yourself.

Household chores are no child's play. There's a never-ending list of small to big errands, that we all run on a daily basis to meet. And in the midst of all, it is our poor joints that have to undergo a lot of stress and for those having arthritis, it is no less than fighting a battle as for them even a petty task like picking up a plate becomes painful. Since the daily routine cannot be skipped, there are few hacks you try to lessen the pressure on your joints and ease your household chores a bit.

1. Don't bend your back like Beckham

Mistake : Cleaning under the furniture, picking things up from the floor, lifting something up, making beds there’s a list of tasks we bend and perform daily and the common mistake we all commit is bending from the waist which is the reason for back joint pain.
Tip:  Bend from your knees, not your back. Flex your knees slightly and keep a hollow in your back. If standing for long, place your one foot on an elevated surface to minimize pressure on your back. While lifting, always squat and keep your back straight as you lift straight up. Better seek a helping hand or carriers to lift heavy weights.

2. Going down on knees

Mistake : Even a proposal is done on one knee then why load both your knees at the same time for household tasks? To perform chores like moping, cleaning floors, scrubbing low cabinets or tubs etc., we often make use of both knees which causes knee joint pain. Tip : Kneel on one knee and carry out the task. Keep switching knees often to minimize and disperse pressure on your knee joints. For time-consuming or heavy tasks, wear knee pads or place a piece of clothing or mat to work as a cushion for your knees. Use stick mops or scrubbers to lessen the load.

3. Reach out right

Mistake:  Never stretch beyond your limit to reach out to things like reaching with your arm fully stretched to a overhead counter, dusting higher surfaces or ceilings, etc., are very risky.
Tip:  Do some modifications in your home like build shelves at your eye level or bring objects you daily use to your waist level. You can also make use of a stepstool, poles with extended handles or some support to raise and pick up things from top-shelves. Keep arms close to your body to minimize strain on shoulders.

4. The push and pull

Mistake:  The hardcore pulling that you do instead of pushing while moving things around your house, sweeping or vacuuming is a big no-no.
Tips : Always push objects, don't push them. Avoid leaning from the waist and bending your wrists. Keep your head up and in line with your spine. Use mop, broom or vacuum with arms in a relaxed position and avoid thrusting your arm back and forth. Change styles to shift stress on other muscles.
Other tips for joint pain relief To avoid developing other joint pain symptoms like fatigue, restlessness, inflammation, swelling, joint pain along with fever and to keep your home clean with less effort and stress on joints, do the following;

• Alternate sitting and standing tasks, switch your positions, alternate different types of motions, stand up and gently stretch every 15 minutes.
• Outsource heavy tasks like cleaning doors and windows and their curtains, scrubbing etc. to cleaning service providers or divide them between family members.
• Store your supplies right and together. Like keep all your cleaning supplies together and separate for each floor. This will save you from unnecessary walking and carrying heavy supplies up and down.
• Clean mess when they are fresh. This will save you from putting extra effort into scrubbing. You can also leave a cleaning solution overnight and clean in the morning.
• Take advantage of technology. Buy or implement automatic, remote or hydraulic tools or systems that don’t require much effort to move or lift things.

Joint protection should be your highest priority than household chores, as they can wait but once damaged, your joint can't. Take care of them and tryjoint pain home remedies among whichPhysiotherapy - the combination of Ultrasound and TENS works the best.