Whether you have developed rheumatoid arthritis in the joints or you’re rediscovering an old sports injury, the joint pain is most noticeable when sitting or kneeling and then getting back up again. Handling the discomfort while preventing it from stopping you live a full life is what this article is about.

Here are some thoughts on how to approach mobility issues at home.

Adjust the Height of Things

When you’re comfortable standing up but bending down to pick something off a lower shelf causes your knees to crack and pain to surge through the joint, it’s time to make changes.

Consider moving items on a lower shelf to a higher one to stop you needing to bend down. If all the shelves in a cabinet are filled up, then you’re going to need to declutter your home to make space. Once the free space has been created, move everything to a higher level to make it accessible without needing to bend down.

Similarly, items that are situated too high aren’t well positioned. Plan to relocate these items as well.

Deep Sofas vs Armchairs

Sitting in the living room, getting up from a sofa is more difficult depending on how deep you sink into it. The ones that are plush with you disappearing into the fabric are the hardest to climb out of again.

By contrast, an armchair that has a firmer fill and solid arms to grip and push up from makes it easier to stand back up. If your living room is filled with sofas and not armchairs, you might want to consider making a switch if you have arthritic pain rather than a short-term injury. It will make it so much easier to sit down and get back up to reach the front door or to make coffee in the kitchen while minimizing your pain each time.

Washrooms & Toilet Height Adjustments

With the washroom and the toilet, if you have joint pain or your calf muscles get tight, just getting down to the toilet’s level can be difficult. There are a few solutions to this problem to make it easier when needing to go to the toilet.

A toilet seat riser is a product that lays over the toilet seat to provide additional height above its normal level. There are a few different types of toilet riser including a handicap toilet seat and ones that have side bars to grip and push up from. Also, portable models are available to use in hotel rooms on vacation.

While the designs of raised toilet seats differ from model to model, each of them makes it easier to sit down on a toilet seat and stand back up again. Using one of these products avoids having to make more extensive remodelling changes to the bathroom if you’re experiencing a permanent, life altering physical disability or limitation.

Altering how you live at home isn’t hard to do. It only takes a few tweaks to stop you from needing to crouch down as often, which is half the battle.