Elbow osteoarthritis: Practical advice

Carrying buckets:

Buckets are often heavy and therefore difficult to carry.

To avoid lifting it, slide the bucket onto a tray on wheels using your foot to push it along.

This will avoid putting too much stress on your elbows. You can also find buckets equipped with wheels in the shops.

This system can also be used for plant pots.

Ironing:

Ironing can cause tension in your elbow.

First of all, to relax your muscles, you must take a break regularly.

In addition, the weight of the iron is important: choose an iron as light as possible for the least possible strain on your joints.

Pay attention to the height of the ironing board which, if not correctly adjusted, makes ironing more difficult and is therefore harder on your joints. (About 15 cm below elbow level)

Lastly, for your comfort do not hesitate to place a small stool under one of your feet and alternate the supporting leg.

Bottles:

Favour pitchers which are easier to hold. Always place one hand in the handle and the other under the pitcher, allowing better weight distribution and thus spare your joints.

You can also find pitchers in the shops where you can insert your cartons of milk or fruit juice.

Cupboards:

Choosing suitable places for objects in cupboards can help to reduce your daily difficulties by avoiding painful movements of your elbows. Thus, heavy items and those that you use frequently should not be stored either too high up or too low down.

Lastly, to reach the highest shelves, you can use a lightweight stepping stool (but be careful not to fall off). If you do not feel comfortable with this, there are gripper devices that grab hold of any kind of object without any difficulty either from a high or low shelf. (Long handle equipped with a magnetised jaw at the end)

Hair brush:

If you have trouble brushing your hair properly, there are very handy telescopic brushes to reach the back of your head.

Baths:

Several precautions must be taken when using your bathtub. First of all you can equip it with a special handle to help you get in or a grab rail to help you straighten up. Installing a non-slip mat can also save you from slipping.

Two tips can help you make your bed.

First of all, avoid placing your bed against the wall. You will not have to move it to make it.

Lastly, choose a duvet rather than sheets as it requires less effort to make your bed and does not need tucking in.

Carpenter belt:

It allows you to always have your tools handy and saves you from constantly bending down and getting up again.

Painting:

There are telescopic brushes that can help you reach higher or lower areas. The movements are smaller and thus less painful for your elbow

Choose long-handled garden tools; movements will be easier and your elbows will be less stressed.

If it is hard for you to pass clothes over your head then favour clothes with zips.

Sit down to put on your trousers or socks as you will have better balance. If you have problems you can use a hosiery aid or a sock aid.

If you have trouble putting on your shoes you can use a long handled shoe horn or equip your shoes with elastic laces.