Your Fitness: Being proactive around arthritis
Arthritis is a well-known part of ageing.
Stress and concern can be a common reaction while hearing these words being uttered as your scan results are explained to you.
Often arthritis can be poorly explained to help people better understand exactly what it is. In this article I hope to recap what exactly it is and my thoughts on why we shouldn’t panic or stress when we hear the term “arthritis”.
As I mentioned in a previous article, the reality is that osteoarthritis as a condition is way more common than you think.
In a recent paper by Wang et al, 2024 it was even noted that in 2021 approximately 606.5 million people worldwide were living with the condition, not to mention 46.6 million new cases occurring annually.
In many cases we may not even have symptoms despite having this reported on a scan - therefore highlighting that osteoarthritis does not always mean pain.
I say this with evidence from a recent study in 2019, which showed almost half (43%) of adults over 40 had signs of osteoarthritis on scans despite having no knee pain.
When talking about these changes with patients, I find it helpful to compare the process of arthritis and age-related changes to our hair going grey as we age.
While this can be an oddly amusing comparison - it is something worth pondering on. As we age, we accept things like our hair going grey and some wrinkles as a normal and healthy part of ageing. Some choose to colour their hair when it goes grey, others embrace it.
Some people reach for more thorough skin care routines to battle wrinkles, others might choose to trial different, more invasive procedures.
With arthritis some will choose daily movement and strengthening exercises, while others can often choose to slow down, move less and reduce their daily activity.
Arthritis is a well-known part of ageing - in my experience our ability to carry on and be proactive in terms of our daily physical activity and focusing on some strengthening as we age is going to help the vast majority of people maintain a better quality of life as they age and improve overall levels of pain/function.
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Lastly, I would also like to clarify that I am not a registered dietician. All advice disclosed here is simply advisory based on my qualifications as a fitness professional and personal experience and knowledge gained working with individuals and helping them reach their goals.
The advice given is not designed to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem - nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician. Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health.
I hope someone out there found some of this information useful here, just some food for thought.
For any questions in relation to this topic or training, nutrition, etc. or for coaching inquiries simply message me on my business page on Instagram @coachedbycashel_ or by email - contact@coachedbycashel.com
