Juvenile idiopathic arthritis is the most common type of arthritis in kids under the age of 16, and this is an autoimmune condition that will be creating chronic joint inflammation and consists of swelling. Although it is very challenging for people to manage and enjoy proper treatment with a strong support system but on the other hand, children with such conditions can easily enjoy leading active and fulfilling lives. Managing the JIA will always require a comprehensive approach based upon proper planning and lifestyle adjustments with appropriate emotional support. So following are the most important practical and effective tips that you need to take into consideration with the help of rheumatologist immunologist near me:
- Understanding the proper plan of medication: Children who are suffering from juvenile idiopathic arthritis will always require medication, as well as the biological agents, based on controlling the inflammation and preventing joint damage. It is very important for you to understand what every medication will do and how you can easily administer it, with comprehensive details of the side effects in the whole process. So, in such cases, you never need to panic, and further, you need to have a clear idea about the existence of the medication with consultation of the doctor to avoid any kind of problem in the long run.
- Getting in touch with the professionals: The very first step that you need to take into consideration in the whole process is to get in touch with the paediatric rheumatologist because such professional professionals will be specialising in treating the autoimmune conditions and further will be providing you with easy accessibility to the other members including the physical therapist, occupational therapist and ophthalmologist if required. Regular follow-up and collaborative care will be very important, on the condition is very well monitored and management is done very effectively and efficiently.
- Encouraging the physical activity with exercise: Exercise is very much important for maintaining the mobility into the joints as well as strength in the muscle which is the main reason that going for the low impact activities like swimming, walking, cycling and yoga will be very much important and for this you can perfectly work with the physical therapist. Such professionals will be providing you development of the personalised exercise program, which will support the movement without any excessive strain on the joints and further will be making sure that things will be very well sorted out right from the beginning. This will be highly proficient in terms of promoting the overall physical activity very easily, and further getting in touch with the doctors at rheumatology hospital for kids will be very important to avoid any hassle.
- Successfully managing the morning stiffness: Stiffness is very important to be managed, specifically in the morning, and to get rid of it, you can go for encouraging gentle exercise, warmup exercises before walking and other associated things, including the usage of a heat pad and a warm pack. Planning school and daily activities will be very important so that you can enjoy extra time in the morning without any problem at any point in time
- Establishing priority over a balanced diet: A Healthy and anti-inflammatory diet will be highly successful in managing the symptoms very easily and further will promote the overall well-being without any problem. Focusing on the fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins will be very important, so that everything will be very well sorted out without any problem. Further, going for the omega-3 fatty acids will be highly recommended for you because it will be helpful in providing you with a perfect opportunity to avoid excessive sugar and reduce the inflammation without any issues in the whole process.
- Adapting the daily activities and environment: Children suffering with juvenile pathic arthritis will be requiring some specific recommendations at home and school and for this considering to go for adaptive tools like easy grip pen, button hook and the utensils is a very good decision and additionally creating the accessible and clutter free environment will be important to avoid any pressure on the joints. Working with the teachers to provide them with rest and a flexible routine will be highly recommended so that there is no chance of any kind of stress for kids at any point in time throughout the process.
- Monitoring the emotional and mental well-being: Living with chronic problems will take a lot of emotional toll, and further, the children in such cases will be feeling very much frustrated, isolated and nervous. So, to get rid of this particular problem, it is important for you to talk only about the feelings, encourage open participation in enjoyable and inclusive activities and further, going for professional counselling is very much important. This will be helpful in making sure that you can go for joining the support groups either in person or online, so that you can realise that you are not alone in this experience, and you can get in touch with other people as well.
- Tracking the symptoms and other associated factors: Maintaining the journal and application in this particular case will be very much recommended for you, so that you can note down the trigger items and medication very easily, which will lead to changes in physical and emotional state. Tracking in all such cases will be helpful for you to identify the pattern, evaluate the treatment efficiency and share accurate information with doctors without any problem at any point in time.
Apart from the points mentioned above, educating your children about their condition is very important, and for this, remaining in touch with the paediatric surgical doctors will be recommended so that you can use the children’s friendly terms, and the kids will be able to become confident as well as independent in self-care. Managing life with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and kids will require patience, planning and partnership between the families and healthcare providers, which is the main reason that being aware of the above-mentioned points is important so that you can provide your kids with the best possible fulfilling life.