Juvenile Arthritis Management Tips

[caption id="attachment_2068" align="alignnone" width="600"] Juvenile Arthritis impacts thousands of children every day.[/caption]   Seeing their child in pain is every parent’s worst fear, especially when it’s part of a chronic condition. But thousands of children across the United States struggle with a painful condition every day, juvenile arthritis (JA). There are nearly 300,000 children under the age of 16 living with JA in the U.S., according to the Arthritis Foundation, and they live with pain, swelling and limited mobility. NARA supports providers that provide physical therapy and care for children living with JA, and we want to offer some insight as to how you can help manage your child’s symptoms to prevent pain. Keep a Medication Routine Whether it’s cleaning their room or taking out the trash, children can be forgetful when it comes to daily chores, but that’s not an option when it comes to taking medication for JA, because missing just one dosage can lead to a symptoms flare up. You need to set a daily routine to make sure your child can keep to a schedule when taking medication. RICE is Your Friend While this acronym may be more familiar to people treating athletic injuries, RICE can also be helpful in relieving symptoms for children with JA. Rice stands for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevations. During a symptoms flare up, it’s important to limit your child’s activity, ice aching joints, and to wrap and elevate the painful area. Keep Your Child Active While limiting activity during a flare up is important to helping relieve pain, keeping your child active when JA symptoms are dormant can actually prevent symptoms from coming on. You know your child best, so you know how much activity they can handle, but be sure to consult your doctor to help determine your child’s activity level. NARA members serve patients of all ages. To find out more about NARA, visit your website.