Category: Employee Wellness

Arthritis and Driving: Tips for Ease

Those suffering from arthritis may find it difficult to walk to the car and back. However, most do not let arthritis stop them from enjoying their life. So, you may head out of the house and hop into your car. This is great, what if you start experiencing pain? How do you treat it on the road or prevent that pain from coming back the next time?

Keep arthritis pain relievers in the car. In one of your cars compartments, have a few pain relief supplies on hand. This may include over-the-counter pain pills, a tube of arthritis cream, or on-the-go heat patches. Whether you experience pain as soon as you get in your car, or later down the road, rely on these over-the-counter products to seek relief. If you live in an area with cold winters, do not keep these items in your car, as they may freeze. Instead, put them in your purse or fanny pack.

Speaking of over-the-counter products, most retail stores sell on-the-go heating patches. These patches stick to your body and warm with skin contact. ThermaCare is a well-known brand. They are ideal when you cant use an electric or microwaveable heating pad. If in pain before you leave the house, but must still leave, like for a holiday party or a doctors appointment, apply an on-the-go heated patch. Relief will last for up to 12 hours. Since they stick directly to the skin, no adjustments should be needed.

Buy a remote car starter. If you live in the northern United States, it is important to warm your car first. Unfortunately, this may mean an extra trip back and forth. It doesnt have to. Instead, purchase a remote car starter. This device allows you to start and warm your car from inside your home. They also make it easier to unlock car doors. Instead of fumbling with the keys, push the button and your car doors unlock! When buying a remote car starter, look for stores that offer free or discounted installation.

Buy no slip steeling wheel covers. Those who suffer from arthritis of the fingers, dread driving. In fact, some may fear the danger they put themselves and others in. If you find it difficult to grip your cars steering wheel, make a new purchase. That purchase should be an easy grip and non-slipable steeling wheel cover. Ask a store employee, family member, or friend to install the cover for you.

Keep a jar opener in the car. If you have arthritis of the hands, you likely already utilize rubber jar openers at home. They make griping, twisting, and turning easier. Keep one in your car. Use it to unscrew your cars gas cap. You can also find arthritis gas cap wrenches available for sale. They slip over your gas cap, have an extended and easy grip handle. These are nice, but they can be hard to find. For the same price, you could easily buy 20 rubber jar openers, which accomplish the same goal.

Keep your car well gassed. As previously stated, there are tools available to make opening and losing the gas cap easier. Even with these tools, it can still be difficult and painful. To prevent the onset of pain, always have a full tank of gas in your car. You wont be forced to put gas in when you are already in pain or more susceptible to it. If you have a full-service gas station in your area, use it.

As you can see, there are many steps that you can take to ease travel and car use. Just because you suffer from arthritis and are prone to pain, it does not mean you need to live your life in fear. Implement the above mentioned steps to reduce pain. If and when it does arrive, turn to your stash of over-the-counter arthritis care products to seek relief.

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How to Seek Arthritis Relief When Shopping

Do you suffer from arthritis? If so, just functioning from day-to-day may seem difficult. Walking to your car, let alone climbing inside and driving, may seem out of the question. Not only is it too hard, but it may be very painful. So, what should you do? It may be easier to sit on the couch at home, but dont let arthritis control you or your life. We all need to shop, especially for groceries. So, what can you do to ease the pain and discomfort?

Create a grocery list by aisle. Those with arthritis of the toes, knees, and hips, find it difficult and painful to walk. To prevent wasted steps, create a grocery list based on aisles. This prevents you from retracing your steps and walking more. Some grocery stores have guides available for shoppers. Or, the next time you are there, record the aisle numbers and sample of items in the aisle. Use as your guide.

Always use a shopping cart. Regardless of which joints are affected by arthritis, opt for a shopping cart. Baskets are convenient for when you only need to buy a few items, but they can be difficult and painful to grip. If you suffer from arthritis of the toes, knees, and hips, a shopping cart provides you with walking support. Also, dont be afraid to use the motorized shopping carts. Many stores have them available free of charge.

Use a reacher or ask for help. You will experience the most problems at the grocery store. Items are scattered on shelves both high and low. If you find it difficult to bend or reach, ask for help or purchase an extended reacher. They are available for sale at most drug stores and medical stores. These reachers can also help those with difficulty gripping items. If you need help, ask a store associated or a passerby.

Take a break when you need to. It is no secret that both grocery stores and supermarkets are large. Walking from the car to the store may seem like a long journey, but just wait into you get inside. It is not a race to finish quickly; take a break whenever you start to experience pain or difficulty moving. In the grocery store, visit the caf or move your cart to the side of an aisle and lean on it for support. Shopping malls have benches scattered throughout; take a seat and rest.

Opt for paper or reusable bags at the grocery store. Those suffering from arthritis of the fingers, experience pain when gripping and carrying plastic shopping bags. Many dread trips to the grocery store. Instead, opt for paper or reusable bags. Most reusable bags have long handlings; you can sling them over your shoulder. To carry paper bags, use both arms, not just your fingers and hands. Also, do not be afraid to ask a store associate to load your bags into the car or ask a neighbor for help.

As a last resort, hire someone to shop for you. In fact, you may not even need to pay. See if a close friend or family member will pickup a few items for you at the grocery store. Many stores now enable you to shop right from your home. With these stores, you browse or search through their product list, add items to your virtual shopping card, make payment, and wait. A store employee will deliver your goods to your home! You may be charged a small delivery fee, but it may be well worth the added cost.

Although it may be easier to use a grocery store delivery service or have someone else stop for you, try. By implementing a few of the above mentioned steps, shopping for gifts, groceries, and clothes does not have to be difficult. Just remember to take it slow, rely on available tools, and dont be afraid to ask for help.

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THE CHAIR MASSAGE

Massages in chairs or simply in sitting positions have always had their place among most ancient and traditional massage techniques around the world but the contemporary Chair massage as we know it today and as we occasionally refer to as the On-Site or Seated massage is a trend that began as recently as 1982. The Chair massage was the brainchild of David Palmer, the director of the Amma Institute of Traditional Japanese Massage at that time who is considered to be the father of Chair massage. Mr. Palmer came to realize that, whether due to the high cost or the sensual intimacy of conventional table massages, or maybe the lack of sophistication on the part of the public or perhaps due to the combination of the three in one proportion or another, there were too few people who sought such bodyworks services and, therefore, there was not enough work for all the graduates of his institute. Mr. Palmers entrepreneurial intuition and insightfulness led him to adopt a few existing old-time techniques and to renovate others to develop a modern massage technique which could be performed anywhere as it required only brief periods of time, no need for the removal of clothing and quite reasonably priced. Consequently, his Chair massages became convenient, affordable and non-threatening.

The first clients to enjoy the newly developed Chair massage were the employees and customers of the Apple Computers outlets where David Palmer and his graduates set up their makeshift workstations in 1984. That venture lasted only about twelve months and the demand at the time was not huge, but they did give up to 350 Chair massages each week and it proved to be a step in the right direction and a very good beginning. By 1986 a specially designed and structured chair to better accommodate Chair massages went into production and today, there are well over 100,000 such chairs in use within the United States as well as in many other nations around the world.

David Palmer realized that Chair massage will be truly successful only with further development of this particular niche and he opened continuing education seminars for training graduates of other massage schools. During the twelve months of 1986, he taught 24 Chair massage seminars at 24 different locations in the United States as well as in Sweden and Norway. The concept of the Chair massage was embraced with open arms when presented to the American Massage Therapy Association and as a consequence, by 1990 just about every massage school in the nation was teaching it.

The Chair massage is not officially categorized as a therapy or a treatment but rather as a minimal relaxation technique. Whether that was a deliberate marketing ploy and clever salesmanship or not, it worked to attract people who would otherwise shy away from other kinds of massage therapies and treatments. For the most part, those who took the first step and braved the process of the Chair massage, would have become more open minded about progressing and graduating into the true massage therapies.

Nowadays, chair massages are readily available in shopping malls, airport terminals, independent shops, franchises, hotel lounges, hospitals, gyms, spas, bus depots, train stations, supermarkets, community centers, eateries (particularly the new-age cafs), convention centers, beauty salons, barber shops, medical and dental offices, university campuses, corporate workplaces and even at street corners, public parks and city square throughout the United States, Europe and the United Kingdom. The Chair massage is estimated to be the fastest growing and most popular form of skilled touch, as professional massages are performed on the otherwise touch-deprived masses. It is David Palmers greatest dream to see young children performing shoulder rubs among family members and friends as part of their regular daily routine; and expressed in his own words, When we reach that point I will know that we have arrived at our goal of a world where touch is recognized as essential to the development and maintenance of healthy human beings.

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Pain Relief Lower Back

The work environment varies but in most cases, jobs require employees to sit all day on their desk doing tons of paperwork and other tasks. Sitting for a very long period can cause lower back pain. Just imagine that youll be sitting on your office chair for the rest of the year every day. Its no wonder many employees suffer from stress and constant pain particularly on their lower back. This is the best time to choose an effective pain relief.

True enough, sitting at the office is less strenuous as compared to hiking, biking, or traversing rough trails. Because of the sedentary lifestyle of many people, their bodies suffer greatly. According to studies, back pain is a very common condition and most of todays workforce is suffering from it. With the cool atmosphere provided by the air-conditioning systems and limited body movement, the body is inactive all throughout the day. There may be ways to address pain on the lower back but most of them are not effective.

People whose jobs are office-based tend to suffer from back pain which includes the lower portions of the back. The pain may be chronic especially to those who have been working at the office for a long time. New office-based employees are just beginning to feel such pain and if you dont want the pain to last, you should make use of the appropriate pain relief. As you can see, lower back pain should be addressed at the soonest possible time for best results.

There are lots of online and offline resources that can help you in addressing back pain. However, not all these stuff work. eBooks on pain relief are all over the internet and they offer possible solutions for your back pain. If one treatment doesnt work, you can always try another one. Dont resort to drugs and surgery. If you simply take time in looking for effective pain relief treatments, you will surely find one that you can afford and one that will work for you.

Lower back pain starts with the muscles around the spine. When the muscles are weak or quite tight, you will feel pain. It is very important that you have good blood circulation as it can also bring about back pain. Even when youre in the office, you should stretch up a little. Dont just sit down. Try to move from time to time; stand up and stretch your arms. By doing so, you can reduce the tension on your lower back. When muscles are stretched and moved, it will not become too tight.

You need to lie down on the floor and under your knees, you need to put pillows. Bend your knees and feet. By doing this position, the weight is taken off from your back. If your back still hurts, you should lie down in this position. Try to walk from time to time to get those muscles moving.

If you feel muscle spasms, use heating pads. You can use it for 20-30 minutes. For additional relief, you can also try massages and ice packs. Some individuals take non prescription medications like aspirin, naproxen, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and ketoprofen. These medicines can reduce swelling and pain.

Search for the best lower back pain relief that you can use at home or in the office. You can do the exercise; take medicines, and many others. The choice is yours.