Walking Around with Arthritis

Making life easier as you walk around indoors as well as outside is important. You will be able to enjoy more activities when they require less physical effort and produce less stress on painful joints.

Wear shoes that fit well and are not too heavy.
Avoid sitting in low chairs or sit on a pillow to raise you higher. Try to sit in chairs with armrests. When you get up from the chair, push yourself up from the armrests instead of letting your back muscles do all the work. Move forward to the edge of the chair with your feet on the floor back underneath you. Lean forward and push on the arms of the chair with the palms of your hands. It may help to rock forward several times.
Don’t plop when sitting down.
Avoid climbing stairs whenever possible. Climbing stairs puts much more stress on your knees than walking. When taking stairs, use a railing.
When going up stairs, go up with your good leg first a take one step at a time. When descending, put the bad leg down first.
When climbing on or off a bus, use the handrail. Ask the driver to pull the bus as close to the curb as possible.
When getting in and out of a car, it is generally easier to get into the back seat (of a four-door car). Back into the seat and sit down. Then lift and swing in your legs, using your arms to assist them.
For those who are confined to a wheelchair a ramp can be built over the steps to allow access to the outdoors.
At times assistance devices such as canes and walkers may be necessary to take the stress off a particular joint. Use of such devices should be discussed with and prescribed by your physician or physical therapist. They must be the correct height and you should be carefully instructed in using them.
When using a cane, remember that you us it on the opposite side of your problem area. For example, if your right knee is painful, you will use the cane in your left hand.

Related Articles

Walking Around with Arthritis