When the joints of the hands, shoulders, or hips are affected by arthritis, dressing can be a daily challenge. However, frustration and extra pain are not things that you should consider the norm. Several tricks, changes in the technique, and adaptive tools may assist you in dressing without difficulty and preserving your joints. Let’s find out how to Make Dressing Easier When You Have Arthritis!
Why Dressing Becomes Hard with Arthritis
Arthritis can cause stiffness, swelling, loss of grip strength, and loss of range of motion. Fine finger movements and force are required in tasks such as buttoning a shirt, pulling up pants, or tying shoelaces. According to occupational therapists, even simple closures (buttons, zippers, clasps) can cause significant pain to the arthritic person in the hands.
Read more about “thumb arthritis test” here!
Smart Strategies & Techniques to Simplify Dressing
1. Always Wear Clothing When Sitting
Sitting provides stability as well as relieves the joints of the hips, knees, or ankles. Most individuals are more comfortable putting on pants or socks when sitting down, as compared to when standing and trying to balance.
2. Start With the Weaker Side
Place the more afflicted limb into a sleeve or pant, and then the stronger. In that manner, you won't have to stretch or twist yourself later.
3. Loose and Adaptive Clothing
Select clothes that are forgiving and easy to take on and off. Think:
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Rather than tight-buttoned trousers, elastic waistbands.
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Loose sleeve openings
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Pull-over tops and dresses over those that have small fasteners.
4. Use Dressing Aids and Assistive Devices
Dressing is assisted by various little tools. Some standard ones include:
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Button hooks/ zip pullers to assist in buttons and zippers without the power of a pinching grip.
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Sock aids so that you are not required to bend and make fussy finger movements.
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Wearing sticks/reachers to move clothes on or reach sleeves.
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Shoehorns with long handles so as to effortlessly put the shoe on.
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Velcro buttons and magnetic buttons to substitute or minimize the use of small buttons.
These tools will change the force exerted by small joints of the fingers into more powerful muscles, which will decrease the burden.
Check out Arthritis tools here! And find the best according to your condition!
5. Plan and Organize in Advance
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Prepare your clothes in the evening before you go to sleep so that you do not have to think or fiddle with them in the morning.
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Sort out clothes by how easily they are worn.
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Your closet or dressing area should have a chair or a bench to sit in during dressing instead of having to stand and risk tripping.
Tips to Protect Joints While Dressing
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Do not twist and overstretch.
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When it is possible, use both hands and distribute the load instead of using the same hand most of the time.
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Avoid working continuously and take brief rests when you are getting tired or stiff.
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Gently warm up joints (e.g., short hand stretches or warm compress), then dress.
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Do not insist on a closure; when it resists, use some other fastener or leave that one out.
These minor changes will allow you to maintain the health of your joints as well as stay independent.
The Bottom Line
Learning how to make dressing easier when you have arthritis does not involve grand gestures. It is about adding basic tools, adaptive clothing options, joint-protecting methods, and planning. All these minor plans come together with time to minimize frustration, keep your joints strong, and allow you to be self-reliant with pride. At Arthritis Aid, we consider that everybody should be able to dress up and not struggle with their garments!
