Are you suffering from Arthritis and have difficulty doing daily life activities, like bathing? We will show you how to get out of bath with arthritis.
There are around 54.4 million people in the US who are suffering from arthritis. It is estimated that by 2040, nearly 78 million people will have arthritis.
Many people who have arthritis face mobility issues, which hampers their ability to perform daily tasks like climbing stairs, cooking for a long time, taking baths, etc. Not being able to properly take a bath can be irritating, and being an arthritis patient, it is certainly a painful process.
Through this segment, you can learn how to get out of the bath with Arthritis. You can also read about various tools which can make your bathing simpler.
Four Steps You Can Follow To Get Out Of The Bathtub Safely
Get inside the bathtub safely by grabbing the tub for taking a bath. While bathing ensures you leave a portion of the tub’s edge dry, which will later help you come out of the tub safely. After you have taken the bath follow these simple steps to come out safely.
Step 1: After completing the bath, grab on the tub’s dry edges firmly with both your hands.
Step 2: Using the feet, and hands, try to turn down on your knees. The tub’s bottom will be in front of you now. Now hold the dry corners of the bathtub using both hands and get on your knees.
Step 3: Keep holding the edges of the tub and lift yourself up. Don’t leave the tub’s edge even when both of your legs are raised.
Step 4: Now, take out your dominant leg and put it on a dry surface. Keep the leg firmly on the floor and make a good grip with it. Then bring your other leg out, keeping a firm grip on the bathtub all the time.
This is the simplest way you can exit a bathtub even while having arthritis. You can, however, follow these steps if you don’t have very excruciating pain. If your pain is unbearable you can use other tools, like grab bars, handles, etc. to come out of the tub.
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Some Bathroom Services Which The Arthritis Patient Can Consider To Make Bathing Easy
- Instead of a round knob that needs to be twisted to get water from the tap, you can replace the knob with a push-button or a bar where the patient needs to push to start the water flow. Also, you can replace the knob with a flat handle which is easy to pull out and push in to get water from the tap or the shower.
- Arthritis patients also suffer from balance issues which makes them vulnerable to slip in the shower area. So, it is suggestible to avoid a slippery material which might create a situation like that. Instead, it would help if you use a non-slip bath mat on the bathtub or in the shower area that is not slippery and gives an excellent grip. The bathmat should cover as much area as possible, and it should be antimicrobial. Use can also a non-slip shower shoes.
- You can also install a grab bar in the door of the shower area. It will help you to move in and out with this support. It gives a sense of well-being and safety to the patients. Fixed bars are more secure than a temporary suction grab bar that sticks to the wall.
- The bathroom can also have a handheld showerhead. This will help the person to position themselves with the flow of water. The handle needs to be grippy, and the head should maneuver, which will make it easy for the person. This will avoid the situation where the person needs to sit down and take a bath.
- For arthritis patients, opening the shower gel bottle is also tough many times. Turning the bottle cap or pressing out the soap from a bottle requires grip, which is difficult for arthritis patients. To make this easier, you can replace this with soap dispensers on the shower area wall, which will have a button. This will help the person to take out shampoo and soap easily.
- Loofah is required to clean the body properly, but it becomes slippery after some time. This is not idle for arthritis patients as they don’t have much grip to hold it tightly. Instead of a loofah, one can use a bath brush with a long handle. The handle should be made from material that is not slippery and gives a good hold. It will also help the person to clean the problematic area.
- When a person comes out of the shower, he feels cold because of the temperature change. It creates an issue for the arthritis patient as it gives more pain and stress to the concerned area. To avoid this, one can use a warm towel to provide the person with warmness to the painful area and get dry faster.
- Make a rack or place a hanging bag in the shower area to store essentials like shower gel, shampoo, etc., in the person’s reach. This will eliminate the situation of stretching the handout or bending to pick the essentials. This is a small thing but will make a significant impact to cure the pain and give an enjoyable session to the person.
- One should also make sure to install adequate lights in the bathroom to avoid the situation of harmful accidents. The lights should guide the person and should make everything looks clearer and brighter.
- One can also install a medical alert button near the bathing area to be easy for the person to call for help in an emergency situation.
- After a shower, the person can also use a moisturizer or oil to trap the shower’s warmth. It will make sure to keep the skin soft and will also loosen up the joints.
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Tools That Can Be Used To Help The Arthritis Patient To Take A Bath
- If the person is not suffering from severe pain and doesn’t have any issues, he can go for an adjustable height bath step. It avoids slipping situations and provides a good grip while coming out from the bathtub. It is small in size and is simple to use and maintain.
- The easiest and the lightest device is a bath step with a handle. This will provide balance which will give stability and safety while coming out from the bathing area. The bath step should be non-slippery and can have rubber ends on the legs. The place where the person will hold should also have a material that will provide grip and will avoid slipping.
- Arthritis patients can also use a shower chair while taking a bath. It will divert the weight from the knee and legs to the chair, which helps the person shower properly. The seats are waterproof and non-slippery, which will make sure that person is enjoying the bathing session.
- Some people are not very comfortable with the bathtub chair as they feel it is not stable and might move during the use. The alternative for the shower chair is a transfer bench. It is easy to use and is more durable than the other. To get out of the bathtub, first, make sure the person is in a seated position. Then lift the legs and bring them near the edge of the bathtub. Then slide over to the transfer bench and then push yourself up from the bench.
- One more option is the inflatable bath cushion. The battery cushion needs to be waterproof. It comes with a battery to inflate and deflate it. Then you can place the inflated cushion in the bathtub and sit on it. The bathtub cushion will slowly take down the person and will immerse them in water. It will also raise you back whenever it is required. All the functions are operated using a single button.
- A bathing board is also one option to assist the arthritis patient in getting out of the bathtub. The waterproof board sits tightly on the bathtub and gives more stability to the person.
- The bath lift is also one option to transfer the person from the bathtub. It raises and lowers down the person and helps the person to get in and out of the bathtub. An electric bath lift can also control the speed of the machine. It needs to be light in weight and should be made up of anti-slippery material.
Few Alternatives Which Will Make Bathing Easy For Arthritis Patients
- Arthritis patients can also use some Epsom salt. It is made from magnesium which will help to relax the tensed and stressful muscles. It will also loosen up the stiff joints. This will help to diminish the swelling and pain from the painful joints.
- Washing hair is more complicated than taking a regular bath. Scrubbing and washing hair will give more pain to the person. To avoid washing hair frequently, one can use dry shampoo, and while taking a bath, one can wear a shower cap so that hair remains dry. The dry shampoo comes in a bottle, and the person can use the spray form of shampoo, which will be easier for the person.
- A shampoo bowl is also an excellent alternative to wash your hair. It connects to the skin, and the patient can sit down and wash the hair easily. It does not create any discomfort in the hands also.
- Walk-in bathtubs are also a good alternative for the traditional shower area or bathtub. The walk-in bathtub should be at a low level, which avoids the situation of raising your leg and stepping into the tub. It should also be easy to access without creating difficulty for the person. It should avoid the situation where a person needs to bend and take the toiletries. This will prevent any slipping or falling.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Whether to take a bath using cold water or hot water for Arthritis?
There is a mixed view regarding this issue. Hot water relaxes muscles and helps to lubricate the joints. It also loosens the stiff joint and eases the stressful muscles.
In comparison, cold water reduces the inflammation and swelling from the body and decreases the joints’ pain. In many cases, cold therapy is recommended and, in some, hot water therapy. So, it is advisable to ask the doctor and then go for the option.
How to make an Epsom salt bath?
It depends on the person how much Epsom concentrated bat they want. Ideally, it is suggested to add two cups of Epsom salt per gallon of warm water. If you add more, it can make the water slippery and may cause some accidents.
It may also dry out your skin and give skin irritation to the user. You should soak the body for fifteen minutes minimum. You can also make an Epsom detox foot bath water to soak the tensed legs and relax the muscle. It will cure the pain and will loosen up the tight muscles of the calf and ankle.
How to cure Rheumatoid arthritis pain in the morning?
A warm water shower or bath is the best way to cure Rheumatoid arthritis pain in the morning. It will help to relieve the morning stiffness of the muscle. The heat from the warm water will improve blood circulation and enable the blood to move to the skin’s surface.
Try to move your body parts slowly and exercise the joints. You can also massage the joint using a washcloth. Also, if you have access to the showerhead, direct the spray to massage the stressed joints. Try to be in warm water for a longer time as it will heal the pain.
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Conclusion
Patients with Arthritis suffer from swelling, joint pains and this results in muscle stiffness. Taking a long bath will relax the body and will loosen up the stiff muscles. It helps the muscle to restore strength and support to alleviate the pain. It will also help to decrease inflammation and to increase blood circulation. You can either go for a bathtub session or submerge in hot water, allowing the patient to reduce the pain.
The arthritis pain, if increased, can also lead to physical disabilities, which is a worse situation. To avoid such a case, try to cure it as quickly as possible. We have suggested a few guidelines and steps, follow them to prevent any accidents and unwanted situations.
Do leave us your comments, suggestions and feedback, and if you tried our ideas, please leave your experiences too!
