Arthritis Apps for Smartphones - Part 1 - General

By Anna Hazard

View the Rest of the Series

Part 2 - Osteoarthritis
Part 3 - Rheumatoid

Introduction

Arthritis is an umbrella term for a conglomeration of diseases & conditions that afflict the joints of the body. Due to its nature of inflammation of the joint, the most common arthritis symptoms are pain, stiffness, swelling, and decreased range of motion in the joint. With over 100 different varieties of arthritis, it is the leading cause of disability in America. While often associated with aging due to the proliferation of osteoarthritis, the various forms of arthritis can occur at any age through all genders & races.

Due to it's widespread occurrence, many smartphone apps have cropped up that have arthritis as their chief focus. Here are a selection of apps for both iOS & Android that are meant to help deal with arthritis & joint inflammation in general instead of focusing on one particular type (such as osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, the two most common varieties).
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Since smartphones can be easily incorporated into exercise routines & are usually carried around wherever the user may go, these particular apps tend to focus on exercise routines to help mitigate pain or otherwise act as general founts of knowledge as overall guides or by providing easy access to other references (such as arthritis magazines or video selections).

Apps

TRACK + REACT

• iOS | Android | Website (Free with ads)
• Created by the Arthritis Foundation helps the user keep track of nutrition, fitness, sleep, medication, mood, and other variables then compares it to the user's logged arthritis pain using easy-to-understand graphs. This helps illustrate the impact these environmental influences & other trends may have on flare-ups & other arthritis pain.
• Includes other tips & advice from the experts at the Arthritis Foundation.

ArthritisPower

• iOS | Android | Website (Free)
• Track symptoms, medications, medical history, and biosensor data captured via smartphone and easily share compiled reports with doctors, care providers, and family. Also includes health & wellness surveys and validated patient questionnaires for those with arthritis, bone, autoimmune, skin and other inflammatory diseases to help further progress research.

 Rheumakit

• iOS | Android | Website (Free)
• Allows patients with rheumatic conditions such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, and psoriatic arthritis monitor their health, reactions to treatment, and disease activity over time to easily provide data to their doctors. The app can be connected to RheumaKit.com where medical providers can collate & manage an even greater variety of information.

Your Exercise Solution

• iOS | Android | Website (Free)
• Personalized exercise plan designed by the Arthritis Foundation for people with arthritis to help reduce pain, increase balance, strength, and walking pace, as well as improve overall health. Identify pain location, select current fitness level, select preferred activity, and learn modifications to exercise safely with this app.

Yoga For Reducing Knee Pain

• Android (Free with ads)
• A guide to videos for yoga exercises & routines that have been explicitly tailored to help increase strength, flexibility, and relieve the pressure on knee joints to provide joint & arthritis pain relief in the knees.

Qigong for Arthritis Relief

• iOS | Android | Website (Free with in-app purchases)
• Includes video lessons & guides to  gentle qigong exercises that can be practiced standing or sitting that help relieve arthritis & joint pain. Also includes massage techniques, pressure points, and guides to accupressure/acupuncture cavities to help improve circulation, pain relief, and stimulate the body's natural healing.

Arthritis Today

• iOS | Android | Website (Pay per issue or monthly subscription)
• Digital version of Arthritis Today a magazine published by the Arthritis Foundation that gives tips & treatments as well as advice on fitness, nutrition, and daily living from doctors & other medical experts on arthritis.