Self-management for arthritis 

Tanya deKroo, arthritis health educator and physiotherapist

Self-management is an important concept for people with arthritis to learn about because arthritis isn't something that will go away. For most people with arthritis they have to make decisions every day about how to manage their pain, how to manage the things they need to do despite their arthritis and so relying on health professionals or doctors to tell you what to do every day just isn't feasible.  So, people with arthritis need to be able to have those skills and abilities every day to try different things and to know what treatment options they can use to get through their day. One of the first steps about being able to self-manage a condition is learning about your arthritis so finding out what type of arthritis you have and finding about the treatment options that are available is an important step to take. There are sources of information that aren't as reliable or accurate so it's important to make sure that you’re getting information from the right places and that it's reliable and current information.  

The most important self-management strategies  for someone with osteoarthritis would include  exercise, so regular exercise, keeping to a healthy  weight and losing any extra weight that you might  be carrying, using your medicines wisely so,  understanding what medicines you're taking and  how best to take them, being aware of complimentary therapies, how they might help but  also how to use them safely in regards to other  medications you might be taking, seeking advice from health professionals who can also  assist you with things like exercise such as, a physiotherapist or a podiatrist for footwear, an occupational therapist if your hands are affected  and making sure you address the way that  you approach your emotions and thoughts because  those things can have a big impact on how you  feel and then how you can actually then cope with  your arthritis as well. 

One of the important  things to do when you've got arthritis is to  to understand your condition so, learning about  or tracking how you're going each day, tracking  how you're going over the week, finding about out about things that are working well for you, learning about things that aren't working so well  and being able to make decisions about the right  treatment options for you is really important.  My Joint Pain website helps you track your condition and how you're progressing with  your goals and your treatment options as well.