Activity Modification
Observation or no active treatment Wellbeing
What is it and why?
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Avoiding impact orientated activities that can increase stress going through the joint.
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Find alternatives, such as swimming, or take steps to reduce the impact your current activities are likely to have.
- Applicable stages 2-5
- Best stages 1-4
- Cost Very low cost
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Home/self-help
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Hospital
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Daycase procedure
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Inpatient procedure
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Local anaesthetic
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General anaesthetic
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Regional block / Spina
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Pain
No more than usual
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Mobility
No more than usual
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Daily activities
No more than usual
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Driving
No more than usual
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Leisure activities
Minor
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Light exercise
Minor
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Heavy exercise
Will require modification
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Light work
No more than usual
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Heavy work
Will require modification
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Intimate
No more than usual
Overview
What does it involve?
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Stopping repetitive impact orientated activities - like intensive running or step aerobics.
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Breaking activities into several smaller sessions and spreading them throughout the day.
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Using appropriate footwear; flat shoes, cushioned insoles etc.
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Maintaining an activity diary, including pain scores, to understand which activities affect you most.
Effort/burden
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Consistent adherence to the plan; maintaining a diary and changing your activities requires commitment.
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May require the purchase of new footwear. A degree of trial and error may be required to find the type that suits you.
Benefits
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Many arthritic patients report a decrease in the intensity of pain after modifying their activities.
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Moderate drop in pain, improvement in activities of daily living (ADL) and mobility in the long term.
Chances of cure
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Modifying activities is unlikely to cure arthritis on its own.
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However, it can improve the symptoms of arthritis and may slow down its progress.
Limitations and side effects
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Difficult to achieve improvement in a short period of time.
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Minimal side effects reported.
Risks
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No major risks identified.
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Pain may increase in the initial stages and some people may notice an increase in swelling.
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Some may also have problems in adapting to new footwear.
Cost
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Low cost option for both the patient and the NHS.
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May be some personal costs (e.g. footwear, exercise clothing and equipment)
What if no treatment is done?
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Arthritis will continue to deteriorate.
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Symptoms will get worse; sometimes rapidly.
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Will have a negative influence on other management options, e.g. surgery, in the future.
Videos
Time to get Active
