How to Do Household Chores When You Have RA

How to Do Household Chores When You Have RA

By Sonya Collins
WebMD Feature

Home tasks don't have to be a struggle when you have rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Tweak your cooking and clean-up style -- and make good use of helpful gadgets -- and you'll be back in charge of your home again.

'Smart' Lifting

"We don't realize the constant strain we put on our joints," said Sherry Muir, PhD, an assistant professor of occupational therapy at Saint Louis University. Small changes in the way you do things, she says, can make a huge difference.

A key part of your strategy: Check your home for the heavy items you use most often for chores, like laundry detergent. Then move them to a position that makes them easier to lift.

"Think about heavy things that you might have to dust around," says Maura Iversen, DPT, a physical therapist and professor at Northeastern University. "Put them in a place that allows you to slide them to the side for dusting rather than lifting them."

Fiona Lofton, a 40-year-old mother of two who's lived with RA for 15 years, reorganized some of her kitchen staples. "After I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis," says the career coach in Columbia College, S.C., "I moved heavy bags, like flour and sugar, to chest or waist level in the pantry, so that I wouldn't have to reach over my head for them."

You can also swap out heavy dishes, cookware, and other items that you use every day for lighter versions. If you can't part with those weighty ceramic plates, use a small wheeled cart to move things from cabinet to table. 

Many daily chores would be easier with wheels. "A pail or mop bucket on wheels would make a significant and sudden reduction in strain on joints," Muir says. The same goes for laundry baskets and grocery bags.

Most everyone can stand to improve their form when it comes to carrying shopping bags and other heavy loads. You shouldn't carry any substantial weight with your fingers. "Put the least strain on the smallest joints," Muir says.

Shift shopping bags and purses from your fingers to your forearms or shoulders. When you need to carry laundry, use small baskets or try bags with shoulder straps. You can push your laundry down the hall or even toss it down the stairs.

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