Living With Arthritis: Tips to Stay Active and Reduce Pain

When arthritis develops, it can feel like your body is working against you. Joint pain and stiffness can make everyday tasks difficult and frustrating. Fortunately, arthritis is manageable, and with smart strategies, you can continue to live an active life.

Our arthritis management program at AssociatesMD helps adults relieve joint pain, improve mobility, and maintain their everyday routines. We have clinics in Plantation, Pembroke Pines, Davie, Weston, Margate, Dania Beach, and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Here are some of our top tips for staying active despite arthritis.

1. Build movement into your life

One of the best ways to reduce arthritis pain is to stay moving. However, the activities you choose matter. 

While high-impact exercise can contribute to inflammation, gentle motion helps keep your joints lubricated, muscles strong, and body more resilient.

Low-impact aerobic activities like walking, swimming, or biking help ease stiffness and reduce pain, along with light strength training and flexibility work. 

At AssociatesMD, we emphasize lifestyle changes that support joint health, and regular movement is a big part of our arthritis management approach.

2. Choose smart strength exercises

Your muscles support your joints. Unfortunately, when the muscles around arthritic joints are weak, more strain falls on the joint, often causing increased pain and damage over time. 

Incorporating strength exercises focused on the major joints like your knees, hips, and shoulders, and core musculature, helps distribute loads more evenly as you move through life.

Our team is here to evaluate your ability and your needs to help you find strengthening exercises that match your diagnosis and mobility level. A few examples of common movements we recommend are body-weight squats, resistance-band rows, or seated leg lifts.

3. Mind your body weight and joint stress

Every pound of excess weight puts added pressure on weight-bearing joints like your knees and hips. That means maintaining a healthy body weight can make a difference, particularly for people managing osteoarthritis.

If you have weight to lose, shedding just a few pounds can significantly reduce pain and slow joint deterioration. We take a holistic approach to our arthritis management program and offer support for weight management to ease joint pressure and improve mobility. 

If you’re maintaining a healthy body weight, you can still be mindful of unnecessary joint stress. For example, use a bench when putting on makeup instead of standing for long periods, or choose a lower-impact sport if running becomes too painful.

4. Learn how to pace yourself

Arthritis pain changes from day to day. Some days you might feel fine, while others leave you feeling stiff and uncomfortable. Learning to pace yourself helps you stay active and avoid flare-ups.

On better days, take advantage of movement, but don’t push into pain. On tougher days, shift to gentler habits like stretching, using mobility aids, or water-based activity.

Get in the habit of paying attention to your posture and joint positions throughout the day. Always use supportive chairs, and consider alternating between sitting and standing to help reduce strain. 

At AssociatesMD, our providers work with you to design a personalized plan that addresses your arthritis type, symptoms, and daily life.

5. Stay on top of medical care

Home routines are important when you’re living with arthritis, but so is having a care team that guides and adapts your treatment. 

AssociatesMD’s arthritis management service includes regular check-ups, lab screenings, imaging when needed, and tailored treatments such as NSAIDs, injections, or disease-modifying medications, depending on the type of arthritis you have. 

Keeping up with your appointments, reporting new symptoms early, and being honest about what’s working and what isn’t give you the best chance of staying active and minimizing pain. 

Arthritis is a chronic condition, but it doesn’t have to dictate your life. With the right approach, you can keep doing what matters, and our team at AssociatesMD is ready to help. Schedule a consultation and take the next step toward a more active, comfortable life.