How to Manage Your Arthritis this Winter
Grace Weatherby
/ Categories: WELLNESS, 2023

How to Manage Your Arthritis this Winter

For many of the 54.4 million U.S. adults living with arthritis, winter can be no fun.

Thanks to plunging temperatures, the synovial fluid that normally helps joints move freely, tends to thicken. The result is joints that feel stiff and sensitive. Again, no fun.

Fortunately, there are things you can do relieve some of the pain and stiffness of arthritis in winter. Here’s where to start:

Keep warm: Heat works to ‘thin’ the fluid in your joints so that movement comes easier and loosens the surrounding muscles and tissues, which also helps with movement. If you’re heading outside, be sure to bundle up all over. When you warm your core, you also warm your blood. That warm, circulating blood helps keep arthritic joints pain-free. If you’re chilled inside, use blankets or heating pads to warm affected joints and your core.

Stay active: Even though your joints maybe telling you to sit still, the truth is this: the single best thing you can do to prevent arthritis pain at any time of year is keep moving. Exercise, indoors or out, will work to warm your joints and lessen discomfort. Again, if you’re headed outside, dress accordingly.

Stretch often: While it’s tempting to stay tucked under a blanket all day, be sure to stretch and move all the parts of your body throughout the day to keep from getting stiff. If you’re a television-watcher, let commercial breaks serve as your cue to stand up and stretch. From wrist and ankle rolls to toe touches and side bends, regularly gentle stretching will keep your joints loose and comfortable.

Enjoy an ‘arthritis diet’:  Research shows that a Mediterranean-style diet can help fight inflammation and improve joint pain and other symptoms. If you’re diet doesn’t already include these foods, consider adding them: Fish, Nuts & seeds, Olive oil, Beans, Whole grains, Turmeric and Fruits & vegetable, especially blueberries, cherries, spinach, kale, and broccoli. 

Maintain a healthy weight: Whether it’s 10 pounds or 50, carrying extra weight increases the burden and pressure on your joints. Maintaining a healthy weight works to decrease pain and improve joint function. While weight loss is a tough endeavor, it provides many positive effects on your overall health—including relief from the pain of arthritis, a reduced risk of heart disease and diabetes and more.

Medicate as needed: Over-the-counter pain medications, like acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, such as Advil or Motrin), can provide short-term relief from symptoms of arthritis. However, it’s important to discuss your options with your doctor, especially if you’re taking other drugs for arthritis or other conditions.

If you’re still struggling with pain after implementing these changes, contact your doctor to discuss other treatment strategies.

 

Michaela M. Schneiderbauer, MD, MBA, is an orthopedic surgeon with SVMC Orthopedics and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Putnam Physicians.

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What to Expect During Your Outpatient Visit

Now that cases of COVID-19 in the state have plateaued and Governor Phil Scott has given the go-ahead to resume elective procedures, the physicians and nurses at Southwestern Vermont Health Care are eager to provide the elective procedures that were postponed at the onset of the pandemic.

At the same time, we recognize that we need to implement enhanced precautions to ensure safety. See news about the universal safety precautions we are taking here.

Two areas in particular, outpatient surgery and diagnostics (which include the lab and imaging departments), have put additional precautions in place to ensure patient and staff safety.

Outpatient Surgery

3 – 4 Days Before Procedure. Patients will be given directions to get a drive-up swab test for COVID-19. The test should be conducted 3 – 4 days before your surgery. There is no out-of-pocket charge. Patients are given a cloth mask and are asked to wear it and self-isolate until surgery. Results for most tests are expected to be negative. Your surgeon will be in touch with you if there is a positive result. Procedures for those who have tested positive will be rescheduled.

Day of Procedure. Patients should come to the procedure alone, unless they need to be accompanied for safety reasons. Both patients and companions should wear a cloth face covering to the hospital. They are screened for symptoms at the main entrance. Patients will be given a medical-grade procedure mask to wear once they are checked into the unit.

Post Procedure. After the procedure, we will continue to be available to you. You will be provided a link that can be accessed via your cell phone or Internet. The link includes a brief questionnaire to help us assess your progress and guide you to a smooth recovery.

Diagnostic Imaging and Lab Work

Like those receiving an outpatient procedure, every imaging patient will be screened over the phone before arriving at the hospital. Lab patients with appointments will also be pre-screened on the phone. All patients should come for lab and imaging alone, unless a support person is needed for safety reasons. Patients should wear a cloth face covering to the hospital and for the entire duration of their stay. Patients are screened again at the main entrance.

Patients will notice some changes in the waiting rooms. Chairs have been spaced 6 feet apart to comply with social distancing. Reading material has been removed to discourage touching things that have been touched by others. In addition, the exam rooms are being deep cleaned after every patient, and the waiting rooms and high-traffic areas are disinfected hourly.

The clinical professionals at SVHC are confident that these measures, along with continued social distancing, will allow patients to receive the care they need in a safe and timely way.

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