Prevention of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Morning Stiffness Relief
Morning stiffness is one of the easiest ways to mea?sure how active a child’s arthritis is. The longer the stiffness lasts, the more active the disease. Tak?ing a hot bath or shower, sleeping in a sleeping bag or sweatsuit, doing range-of-motion exercises and using a hot or cold pack can help relieve stiffness. Although most children do better with warmth, there are a few who do well with cold treatments.

Physical Activity
Exercise is an essential part of a child’s plan. It helps keep bones and muscles strong and preserves range of motion. Physical activity will also help a child achieve and maintain a healthy weight, relieving added pressure on weight-bearing joints like knees, hips and ankles. Encourage activities such as swimming and bike riding, which exercise the joints and muscles without putting too much weight-bearing stress on the joints. Activities such as jumping on a trampoline or jogging often are not recommended. However, sports like basketball or soccer may not be off limits for a child if his or her arthritis is well controlled. Special exercises and protective equipment fur?ther reduce risk of injury. Family support can help to keep a child motivated to be physically active.

Therapeutic Exercise
Therapeu?tic exercise is the best way to preserve range of motion and strength and can help make it easier for children to perform activities of daily living. Range-of-motion exercises help with joint stiff?ness to prevent joints from becoming fixed in a bent position. Joints with poor movement are at increased risk of osteoarthritis, even if the inflam?mation is controlled. Strengthening exercises build muscle strength that can help support weak joints. A physical or occupational therapist can teach parents and a child and how to perform therapeutic exer?cises at home. Most exercises must be done daily.

Nutrition
A healthy diet is important for all children. While some people have reported improved symptom relief from eating or eliminating cer?tain foods, there is no specific diet that can cure arthritis. Following a diet low in processed foods and saturated fat and rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts and beans can be beneficial for a child’s overall health and help ease inflammation.

Weight loss and gain can be associated with JIA. Weight loss may occur due to a loss of appetite. Chewing may be painful for children with af?fected jaws. Eating smaller, nutritious meals and snacks more often may help a child get the proper amount of calories. Some children with JIA may gain excess weight due to side effects of corticosteroids or limited physical activity. Being overweight puts extra stress on joints like the knees and hips. A regis?tered dietician can help parents to improve their child’s diet.