8 life hacks to soothe arthritis symptoms in winter

It’s now winter and it’s the time of year that arthritis sufferers dread. As if having stiff joints isn’t enough, it can be worsened in winter because we instinctively ‘freeze’ up.

Luckily, there are a few ways to make everyday tasks and pain management easier in winter with these 8 clever life hacks.

Share any others you have below.

1. Scissors

Carry a little pair of scissors in your handbag or wallet to open packets, especially in restaurants. the more your prevent straining your joints, the better they will feel.

2. Get a better handle on things

For better grip, try placing rubber bands on jar lids to provide more traction to get them open. It even works on small bottles, like nail polish. Use thick bands for wider jar lids and small bands for smaller lids.

3. Zipper

Pop a key ring onto a zipper to give it more area to grab onto with sore fingers. Pieces of string or zipper pulls also make it easier to operate zippers.

4. Create a house on wheels

You can purchase furniture that already has wheels, or you can put wheels on your furniture so that it’s always easy and pain free to move for cleaning and rearranging. Your local hardware store will have the wheels and fittings you need.

5. Make a bedside kitchen and spa

Waking up is often the hardest part of the day for arthritis sufferers, so why not make it easier? Buy a mini fridge and stock it up with bottles of water, fresh towels, lotions, ice and heat packs and prescription medicines. The minute you wake up you can access what you need and in turn lessen stiffness and pain right away.

6. Turmeric and ginger tea

As turmeric and ginger are both anti-inflammatories, they will help with osteo and rheumatoid arthritis. Turmeric contains an active ingredient called curcumin, which is a powerful antioxidant.

Mix 2 cups of water, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric in a saucepan until boiled. Strain into a mug, add honey and drink twice a day.

7. Epsom salt soak

Epsom salt contains magnesium sulphate has been used to get relief from pain for years, namely because of its high levels of magnesium.

Put 1/2 cup of Epsom salt in a large bowl of warm water. Submerge your joints in the liquid. Otherwise, if the pain is all over or in a difficult spot, have an Epsom salt soak bath.

Oil lubricates by its very nature, so why not rub some on your joints? Rub a bit of olive oil onto your sore joints twice a day, massaging in to each one gently. You can also take 2-3 tablespoons daily, but be sure to give up some other form of fat due to the high calorie count in the oil.

Share your thoughts and any other remedies below.