6 Ways Osteoarthritis Can Impact Your Quality of Life

According to the Mayo Clinic, osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. It affects over 32.5 million Americans. This condition happens when the protective cartilage that cushions our bones breaks down and most commonly affects joints in the hands, hips, and knees (per the Mayo Clinic). As you can probably imagine, osteoarthritis is painful, if not altogether debilitating. But how exactly does it affect your quality of life?

What are the risk factors of osteroarthritis?

First, if you don’t have osteoarthritis, you might be wondering if you’re at risk. Maybe a doctor has already discussed risk factors with you, but in case you need a refresher, we’ll go over just a few of them! Some of the most common risk factors for osteoarthritis include:

• Age: Growing old has its perks, but it also has its downsides, including a bigger risk of osteoarthritis.
• Your gender: Ladies are a bigger risk for this condition, though experts haven’t quite determined why (according to the Mayo Clinic).
• Obesity: Extra body weight increases your risk of several chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and even certain cancers! Osteoarthritis is also on that list. According to the Mayo Clinic, the more you weigh, the higher your risk.
• Old injuries: Injuries, particularly sports injuries, can increase the risk of osteoarthritis, even if you suffered them a long time ago!
• Genetics: Yep. It happens. Sometimes, people just have a genetic predisposition for osteoarthritis.
• Repeated stress on the joints: If you played a sport or have a job that places a lot of stress on your joints, you might develop osteoarthritis somewhere down the line. Or so says the Mayo Clinic!

How does osteoarthritis reduce your quality of life?

Imagine a condition that makes it painful to stand. To move. To dance and chase after your grandchildren and exercise. That’s the sad reality of osteoarthritis. It causes so much pain, stiffness, swelling, and achiness in the joints that it can go beyond affecting a person physically and make them depressed. But let’s discuss this painful condition in further detail. What are the potential side effects?

1. Impaired mobility.

Joint pain is the defining symptom of osteoarthritis. Simply put, it can hurt to move! This is particularly true when dealing with lower limbs, like the knee or the hips. Pain in the affected area can also reduce your range of joint movement. This is especially true because of increased stiffness after periods of rest. Over 80 percent of osteoarthritis patients experience trouble performing everyday activities and tasks. This means that osteoarthritis can impair your ability to do normal things like dusting or vacuuming.

2. Increased fall risk.

Falls can be particularly worrisome for older adults and seniors, anyway. Well, add a diagnosis of osteoarthritis, and that risk shoots way up! Knee and hip osteoarthritis are of particular concern here. A study published in the journal Arthritis Care and Research found that the risk of a senior falling was measurably higher, depending on the number of symptomatic lower limb joints. With a single symptomatic joint, the risk was measured at 53 percent, while it was 85 percent with 3 to 4 affected joints.

3. Loss of independence.

The pain and reduced mobility associated with osteoarthritis can be severe enough to make just about anything difficult. Tasks that were once easy like cooking, cleaning, or picking up groceries might now exacerbate joint pain and swelling. This can be frustrating and even disheartening for seniors who’ve lived independent lives. With increased dependence on family members or caregivers may come feelings of helplessness. For some, osteoarthritis can also mean a loss of livelihood or earning capacity.

4. Reduced sleep quality.

Sleep quality often declines with age, but those suffering from arthritis may lose even more rest! Experts often suggest home care strategies like meditation, yoga, and acupuncture to relax.

5. Weight gain.

People who suffer from osteoarthritis are less likely to be physically active because, well, it hurts to move! Painful symptoms and a reduced range of movement can lead to lots of time spent not getting the physical activity your body needs to thrive. Unfortunately, a sedentary lifestyle has been proven to exacerbate osteoarthritis symptoms in terms of both severity and frequency. The effects of being physically inactive are even more striking in seniors. In addition to accelerating muscle atrophy, reduced physical activity causes weight gain, which can create a whole slew of other complications.

6. Social isolation.

Reduced mobility doesn’t just hurt your ability to work around the house. It can restrict your ability (and desire) to go out and socialize. People thrive on companionship and contact with others, so this is kind of a big deal! Social support is also important for coping with illness. Many who suffer from severe osteoarthritis are socially withdrawn and have limited interaction because of painful and unpredictable symptoms. This can also greatly increase the risk of other mental health problems.

How can I cope with osteoarthritis?

Once you accept and learn more about osteoarthritis and its effect on your quality of life, you can take steps to prepare for the worst-case scenario. Like other degenerative conditions, osteoarthritis will worsen if you don’t manage it. However, many seniors continue to live healthy and active lives despite osteoarthritis!

Eating right and exercising can help you take care of both your physical and mental health, especially when you’re suffering from a chronic pain disorder. Plus, exercise has more benefits beyond helping you avoid gaining weight. Eating right and following an exercise routine can also reduce inflammation and improve your tolerance to pain. Oh, and did we mention it can also lower your risk of depression and anxiety?

Of course, make sure you talk to your doctor for further treatment and advice! Although osteoarthritis has no known cure, your doctor may recommend or even prescribe pain meds that make the pain a little more tolerable. You can also try other natural pain relief methods, like yoga, acupuncture, and light stretching.

Check out these arthritis-friendly workouts!

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