Focus On... Arthritis

October 2019

In the United States, 23% of all adults—over 54 million people—have arthritis. About 24 million adults are limited in their activities from arthritis, and more than 1 in 4 adults with arthritis report severe joint pain according to the CDC.

The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis. Other forms include gout, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus. Symptoms of arthritis are pain, aching, stiffness, and swelling in or around the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis and lupus can affect multiple organs and cause widespread symptoms.

Here are four tips to prevent arthritis:

• Exercise. Daily exercises help strengthen your muscles around your joints and keep them more flexible.
• Maintain a healthy weight. Obesity can have a great impact on your joints.
• Drink Plenty of Water. Water makes up 70% of your cartilage in joints and keeps them lubricated so they don’t cause friction against each other.
• Avoid Injury. Make sure that when you are participating in sports or exercising, you are using proper safety equipment. This helps prevent wear and tear of cartilage in the knees, so they won’t wear out easily.
• Talk with a doctor. Recommendations from health care providers can motivate people to be physically active and join a self-management education program.

Resources

To learn more about Arthritis, check out the following resources:

	Exercise Solution with Arthritis App (Arthritis Foundation)
	How the CDC improves quality of live for people with Arthritis (CDC)
	The 5 Most Common Types of Arthritis (WebMD)
	Exposing RA Through Photography: The Inspiration (Pfizer)