Getting dressed is not a problem for everyone with arthritis, but if your arthritis is not as severe as it could be, small changes may have to be made in the way you dress.
Here are a few tips to follow to make those changes smooth and easy.
First, analyse which joints cause you the most difficulty with dressing, especially in the morning, don't forget that stiffness from arthritis may take over an hour to pass after you get out of bed and you don't want to wait that long to get dressed, adapting how you get dressed to work around those joints will ensure you don't get thrown off schedule.
Next, decide if an easy adaptation will fix the problem, try sitting on the bed to put on your socks and shoes if your hips and knees are stiff in the morning, furthermore, a problem (for women) is that putting on your bra may be difficult if your shoulders are too stiff for you to reach around behind your back and hook your bra, in this case, place your bra behind your back, hook it in front, then slide it around and place your arms in the straps.
These simple adaptations are just two examples you can do at home with the clothes you have
If your arthritis is a little more severe in the morning, you may have to buy different types of clothing, if lifting your arms causes problems then think about buying front closing shirts or blouses, your fingers may give you problems in the morning, so avoid clothing with small buttons or hooks
If back or hip pain makes bending painful, wear slip on shoes with Velcro closures, you don't have to buy special clothes, adaptive devices, that have been around for years can make dressing much easier
Before the Internet came along, an occupational therapist would have to assist you in buying this type of equipment, but now anybody can buy these devices directly
Dozens of these devices are now available that can help almost any type of problem, a good source for all adaptive devices and clothing for arthritis is able2wear.co.uk
