Protect your joints.   Arthritis is actually an umbrella term used for a group of more than 100 medical conditions that collectively affect nearly 70 million adults and 300,000 children in America alone. Joint protection techniques are one of the most effective ways to avoid or control arthritis pain and prevent further joint damage to joint cartilage (the tough, smooth tissue that covers the ends of the bones, enabling them to glide against one another) and surrounding structures.   Your joints - - the structures where two or more bones come together - - undergo a certain amount of wear and tear as you age, but treating them with care can help keep them free of arthritis pain.  Although practicing good joint protection is important for everyone, it’s especially true if you have Arthritis Pain. Arthritis causes joints to become stiff and sometimes inflamed. Arthritic joints can’t tolerate as much stress, so pushing, pulling or twisting motions can be painful.  Though you may want to work through your arthritis pain, doing so can aggravate the situation. Always respect pain - "No Pain, No Gain" is not a motto to be used for Arthritis The way you carry your body largely affects how much strain you put on your joints. Proper body mechanics allow you to use your body more efficiently and conserve energy. Keeping a healthy weight can minimize a contributing risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis -- obesity. Additional weight strains the joints and appears to increase the risk of many other joint problems. The more pressure there is on your joint the more pain you may have, and the faster the joint deteriorates. Losing just 10 pounds can take about 30 pounds of pressure off the knees when you walk. Pay attention to our feet so we can head off potential problems.  Our feet are the whipping boys of the body. Two narrow islands of 26 bones and more than 30 joints that with every mile they walk, 200,000 to 300,000 pounds of stress bears down on them , and by the time we’re 50, most of us have walked 75,000 miles. That’s a lot of action. Yet most of us ignore them despite the central role our feet play in our lives. Exercising with shoes that are worn out can overstress the joints. Experts say that foot problems are a leading cause of inactivity and disability. Our feet spread out with age, begin to lose flexibility and elasticity, muscles grow weaker and skin thins out. Our shock absorbers simply don’t work as well as they used to. Add arthritis, and you have a double whammy. Joints inflamed and distorted by arthritis find no comfort from a day’s pounding in ill-fitting shoes or from feet whose padding has grown thin. If we already have arthritis, it is crucial that we take more care of our feet and joints. This just makes common sense. Keep an open mind about how you do everyday tasks.  You might have to change some old habits and avoid unnecessary joint strain, and subsequent arthritis pain, but the rewards will be well worth the effort. Understand the difference between the general discomfort of arthritis and the pain from overusing a joint.  You can avoid repeating that movement by noting that this particular activity has stressed a joint and experience the resultant pain. If the pain lasts more than an hour after an activity this definitely indicates that the activity was too stressful.  There are other ways that you may be able to think of to modify the action.  Avoid excess stress on your joints. Use larger or stronger joints to carry things. Assistive devices can make tasks at home and work easier. Remember that you are more likely to damage your joints when they are painful and swollen. At these times, gentle range-of-motion exercises will keep the joint flexible. Stretching is a simple way to keep joints and muscles flexible. Warm water may also be a good place to stretch and strengthen the muscles in your back. You know how good it feels to soak in warm water, especially when your back is aching. By allowing your muscles to relax, warm water provides an excellent environment for those who find it difficult to exercise on land. Water acts as resistance to help build muscle strength, and the buoyancy makes it feel easier and more comfortable to exercise. A warm bath before bed can relieve muscle tension, ease aching joints and help you get a good night’s sleep. When you are feeling better, low-impact aerobic exercises such as walking and exercises to boost muscle strength will improve overall health and reduce pressure on joints. A consultation with a physical or occupational therapist may help to determine what level and types of activities are appropriate. When joints are hot and inflamed, applying something cold can decrease pain and swelling by constricting blood vessels and preventing fluids from leaking into surrounding tissues. In general, rest when a joint is swollen and inflamed, or when feeling fatigued and you are less likely to experience the type of joint damage that leads to joint replacement. Keep a daily pain diary. Write about your level of pain at different times of the day or night, how you are feeling, are there any stresses in your day, and also what activities you can and can not do. Even to what foods you have eaten that you suspect may cause you a problem (coffee for instance). Arthritis professionals recommend that people with rheumatoid arthritis use a scale from 1 to 10 to measure their pain before and after they begin a new practice or make changes in their daily life. Keeping a record of medications you are now taking or have in the past or any over the counter products. Also record if you have been having any non-drug treatments. All medications – even natural ones – have the potential to cause side effects or to react adversely with each other. Bring this diary with you to your doctor visits. Above all  - treat yourself and your joints well.