Daily Life with Arthritis

Pushing Up From a Chair

Avoid using your writs or knuckles when getting up from a chair.
Avoid these methods. They cause pain. The knuckles come under extreme stress.
Use your forearms to push or get up from a chair; it distributes the weight more evenly.
When getting out of a chair, one way is to lean forward with your hands around your knees and push up/stand up by using your leg muscles.
Another way of getting up from a chair is to distribute the weight between your forearms and the legs. This avoids straining the knuckles or the shoulders.

Avoid carrying too much weight.
You may strain your shoulders and fingers if you carry your bag by holding the strap.
Carry your bag on your shoulder if it is not too heavy.

Avoid resting your face on your elbows and knuckles when reading a book.
Avoid resting your face on your elbows and wrists when reading a book.
Avoid holding the book too tightly. It can strain the wrist.
Use a book-rest. It avoids any strain on your elbows, knuckles, wrists and neck.

Avoid holding the lid with your fingers and thumb to a jar. It can strain your thumb.
The entire load is on the fingers and thumb.
To increase your grip on the jar uses both hands. Use the palm of the hand to increase the grip and always screw open towards the thumb.
Both hands can also be used to hold the lid after keeping the jar on a non-slip mat or damp cloth.

Avoid using a hand tin-opener when opening tins. It puts strain on the wrist.
Use a wall-mounted tin-opener with a shelf underneath to hold the weight of the container.

Avoid having drawer handles which have to be held between the thumb and the fingers for pulling the drawer out. These may strain all the finger joints.
Use drawer handles as shown here. These handles distribute the weight more evenly without straining the fingers.

Avoid bending like this over a basin. It you are washing hair, use a hand shower.
Avoid lifting a load/weight this way. It can strain your back.
This is a right way. Bend your knees, rest your weight equally on both feet, and hold the load than close to your body and lift.