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Arthritis and agriculture: A painful companionship

By MEGGIE I. FOSTER
Assistant Editor

PLYMOUTH, Ind. — Many farmers work 10-12 hours per day bending down, lifting heavy equipment and straining muscles and joints seven days a week, 52 weeks out of the year.

While productive, this level of work can have a damaging effect on the body, according to Paul Jones, of Purdue University’s Breaking New Ground. Hands can begin to feel stiff, muscles start to swell, and pain begins to ensue in the neck, back and knees for those who suffer from arthritis.

“About one-third of all farmers in this country have some form of arthritis that hinders them from doing chores because of either stiffness or pain in the joints,” said William Field, project manager for Breaking New Ground Resource Center (BNG), a program that serves agricultural workers who suffer from disabilities, such as arthritis, visual impairment, back injury or amputation.

Although most farmers often project a tough exterior, claiming the pain isn’t serious and that there’s nothing one can do about it, Jones offered some helpful tips and suggestions for those dealing with the pain.

“In offering some ways to make life easier and less painful, I would recommend keeping your weight under control, wear proper footwear that supports your weight, get off machinery properly, meaning don’t jump, use a good shock absorbing seat (in your tractor cab), increase the diameter of levers (to reduce stress on hands), have good rear-view mirrors set up (as not to contort the back and neck) and learn how to lift properly by bending your legs, use handrails, don’t climb over gates, walk through gates and finally organize your workbench so you can use a chair and sit down while you work.” said Jones.

Jones added that there are also several useful aids available in the marketplace to limit stress on joints and muscles such as portable steps, handcarts, mobility aids such as all-terrain vehicles or a kneeling trailer.

“If you feel overwhelmed with the farm work, eliminate what’s unnecessary, share problems and concerns with family members, allow adequate sleep and rest, take time to relax, it gives your joints time to take a break, get out and stretch a little bit,” he said. “Always avoid the opportunity for fatigue, especially since it’s the leading reason for stress.”

While there are a lot of ways to make life a little easier in dealing with arthritis, Jones said the first step in any situation is to get diagnosed and meet with a family physician.

“Without a proper diagnosis, you can’t manage the disease, and it could limit your activity even more,” he added. “It’s important to meet with a physician, there are remedies available that can be prescribed to treat the pain.”

According to Jones, there are two well-known types of arthritis: osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Osteoarthritis is the breakdown of cartilage between two bones, where eventually bone begins rubbing on bone. Jones said in most cases, this is caused by the same repetitive movement over and over again such as squatting down to milk cows.

He added that it can begin as early as age 40 and usually occurs on only one side of the body in one joint.

Rheumatoid arthritis is most prevalent in women and occurs when the membrane around a joint becomes inflamed. Jones explained that rheumatoid arthritis can cause swelling, immobility, deformation and an overall feeling of sickness and fatigue.

According to Jones, rheumatoid arthritis has an even earlier onset at age 25 and affects the same joint on both sides of the body.
Robert Stuthridge, of BNG, who specializes in the ergonomics of arthritis, said there are four main aspects of work that can cause arthritis: posture, force, repetition and environmental factors.

Stuthridge said that in relation to posture, one should consider step heights, hand-holds and handrails, use extension to reduce hip, knee, shoulder and hand joint stress. “Even though it’s just a step, you need to think more about it than you think,” he said.

There are also tools available to promote good posture when working with livestock such as handcarts a mechanisms to flip animals around to trim feet without having to bend over.

When considering force as a cause for arthritis, minimize the weight and movement of lifting a load, transporting a load and gripping an object.

“Use a winch system, a lift table, or an animal lift when necessary,” said Stuthridge. “Force should be minimized for each activity, while still achieving the aim of the job.”

He added that even initially comfortable postures and forces can cause pain with enough duration or repetition such as laying, sitting and standing.

“You need to balance mobility and movement with a need to avoid repetitive movements,” Stuthridge explained.

With 46 million people diagnosed with some type of arthritis, Jones said there are numerous resources available for farmers dealing with pain such as the Arthritis Foundation at www.arthritis.org and BNG’s website at www.breakingnewground.org

In fact, Jones and the Breaking New Ground team offers a helpful booklet and/or DVD entitled Gaining New Ground, at a small fee of $25.

To contact the BNG team, call 765-494-5088.

2/18/2009