Early diagnosis and appropriate management of arthritis,
including self-management activities, can help people with
arthritis decrease pain, improve function, stay productive,
and lower health care costs. Key self-management activities
include the following:
Develop Your Skills—Self-management education, such
as the Arthritis Foundation Self Help Program (AFSHP), or
the Chronic Disease Self Management Program (CDSMP) help you
develop the skills and confidence to manage your arthritis
on a day to day basis. For example, AFSHP has been shown to
reduce pain even 4 years after participating in the program.
Be Active—Research has shown that physical activity
decreases pain, improves function, and delays disability.
Make sure you get at least 30 minutes of moderate physical
activity at least 3 days a week. You can get activity in 10-minute
intervals. Read about the physical activity programs the CDC
recommends for people with arthritis.
Watch Your Weight—The prevalence of arthritis increases
with increasing weight. Research suggests that maintaining
a healthy weight reduces the risk of developing arthritis
and may decrease disease progression. A loss of just 11 pounds
can decrease the occurrence (incidence) of knee osteoarthritis.
See Your Doctor—Although there is no cure for most
types of arthritis, early diagnosis and appropriate management
is important, especially for inflammatory types of arthritis.
For example, early use of disease-modifying drugs can affect
the course of rheumatoid arthritis. If you have symptoms of
arthritis, see your doctor and begin appropriate management
of your condition.
Protect Your Joints—Joint injury can lead to osteoarthritis.
People who experience sports or occupational injuries or have
jobs with repetitive motions like repeated knee bending have
more osteoarthritis. Avoid joint injury to reduce your risk
of developing osteoarthritis.
Quick Stats on Arthritis
- 42.7 million adults in the United States have doctor-diagnosed
arthritis (just over 1 in 5 adults).
- The percentage of adults with arthritis ranges from 18%
in Hawaii to 37% in West Virginia. State median is 27% in
2003.
- Arthritis affects all race and ethnic groups: 34.3 million
white adults, 4.4 million black adults, 2.6 million Hispanic
adults, and 1.3 million adults of other races have arthritis.
- The risk of arthritis increases with age and is more
common among women than men.
- Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the United
States. Over 16 million adults say that arthritis limits
their usual activities in some way.
- 8.2 million working aged U.S. adults (about 1 in 20)
report work limitations due to arthritis or joint symptoms.
- Blacks with arthritis have more activity limitation than
whites. Blacks and Hispanics with arthritis have more work
limitation and severe joint pain from arthritis than whites.
- Arthritis costs exceeded $86 billion in 1997. ($51 billion
in medical care expenditures and $35 billion in earnings
losses). States ranged from $121 million in Wyoming to $8.4
billion in California.
- Effective strategies exist to reduce the impact of arthritis.
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