Rheumatism is the collective term for various disorders that cause discomfort to joints, tendons and muscles. The most common symptoms of rheumatism are pain and stiffness. The complaints can be banal, but 1 in 10 people with rheumatism suffers from daily complaints and a risk of joint deformation.
Different types of rheumatism
You can classify rheumatism into 4 types.
- Osteoarthritis or wear and tear rheumatism
- Arthritis or inflammatory rheumatism such as gout, rheumatoid arthritis or Bechterew's disease
- Soft tissue rheumatism such as fibromyalgia
- Rheumatism of the bone such as osteoporosis.
Loss of strength, joint pain, stiffness, irritation, fatigue and fluid accumulation are some of the common symptoms.
Clothing and rheumatism
With the right clothing you can solve a lot of inconveniences. As occupational therapists, we would like to give you a few tips on choosing the right clothing.
Buttons, zips, laces are a few items that are very difficult to use by people with rheumatism. Fortunately, there are already many alternatives.
Trousers on elastic
People with rheumatism prefer trousers and skirts with an elastic waistband. In this way they avoid handling buttons and zips. A nice jumper, polo or blouse on top and no one who sees that you are wearing trousers on elastic.
Shirts or blouses
Choose shirts or blouses with magnetic buttons or velcro.
You can customise existing blouses or shirts by attaching velcro to them. We advise you to keep the existing buttons so that the top does not look 'adjusted'.
2 points of attention
- People with pacemakers should not wear magnetic closures under any circumstances.
- When using velcro or velcro you must always make sure that you do not cause damage to other items of clothing. Make sure, for example, that the 2 parts of the velcro are closed before washing them.
Jackets with magnetic zip
Coats whose zip ends close magnetically are very practical and require virtually no fine motor skills. Even with joints already very deformed by rheumatism, the zips can be used effortlessly.
In addition, a zip fastener is attached to each zip to make it even easier to handle.
Do you still have a nice coat, but can't get the zip closed properly? The magnetic zips are also available separately. There is a choice of zips for left or right use.
Shoes
Do you have trouble tying the laces of your shoes? Then you should definitely try Friendly Shoes. Thanks to the long zip with a firm grip, you can easily put the shoes on and take them off.
Do you have any clothing tips for people with rheumatism? Share them with us. Do you keep asking questions? Don't hesitate to contact us!
Warm regards,
Sofie and Jessie