Apps can take you from reading and chatting about your arthritis to actively DOING stuff to improve your all-round health, fitness and happiness. Here's some we thought you might like, in handy categories
Most of us couldn’t live without our phones, iPads and tablets; they’re a crucial part of our world. They can keep us informed, help improve our fitness and health and entertain us in tedious hospital waiting rooms. So what are the best arthritis apps, health apps, fitness apps and general all-round great apps for young people with arthritis? We’ve been on a mission to find out! Why not check them out and find the ones that are best for you?
Click on the tabs below to see the apps.
Managing your arthritis
ArthritisID
This is a very handy arthritis app – it’s comprehensive and free, which is always good. It features the most current, evidence-based arthritis information to help detect, treat and manage the condition.
Track + React
This nifty little arthritis app helps you discover the impact of your daily activities on your arthritis pain. You can track your nutrition, fitness, sleep, medication and mood and compare it to your arthritis pain. Clever, isn’t it? You can also access advice and tips from experts.
Get the app for iPhone or iPad (Free)
Get the app for Android (Free)
Know Your DAS
This app from NRAS lets you calculate you DAS28, keep a health diary and even has a “capture your joint” feature using the camera on your phone. It will also allow you to email the results to your health care professional.
Get the app for iPhone or iPad (Free)
Get the app for Android (Free)
MSK 24
The NHS’s app for muscle and joint discomfort will give you advice on how to deal with recurring aches and pains, as well as information to help your working day run smoothly and exercise videos and tutorials to help your body follow suit.
Get the app for iPhone or iPad (Free)
Get the app for Android (Free)
My Pain Diary
This is an award-winning app which helps anyone with chronic pain. You can record details about your pain and symptoms and try to work out stuff like whether your medication is working, whether the temperature is affecting your pain, and whether something you’ve eaten or drunk has affected your condition.
Get the app for iPhone or iPad (£3.99)
Get the app for Android (£2.98)
Cloudy with a Chance of Pain
Want to take part in some “Citizen Science”? Want to help answer an age-old question? Now you can. Scientists at Manchester University are being funded by Arthritis Research UK to try and find out if the weather really does affect the pain that you feel in your joints. They want as many people as possible to use smartphone apps to track their pain and by the magic of technology this will be linked up with weather data from the GPS on your phone to produce a huge data resource.
Visit the website to answer a short questionnaire, download the apps (for iOS and Android), and get involved.
Patient Passport
Initially created to help cancer patients manage their recovery, this app comes with a great format to schedule and record your medical appointments, symptoms, medication, and a journal that you can keep private or share with contacts.
Pain Score
This is pretty much a Ronseal app, “does exactly what it says on the tin”. Designed for practitioners, you can rate the intensity of any pain you’re experiencing on a scale that will be understood by your doctor, and perhaps more importantly, yourself.
Get the app for iPhone or iPad (£4.49)
Dosecast
Dosecast reminds you to take your medications on time, and tracks your medication adherence. It claims to be the only medication reminder app with live sync between devices.
Get the app for iPhone or iPad (Free with in-app purchases)
Get the app for Android (Free with in-app purchases)
Keep track of your drinking
One You Drinks Tracker
This app lets you easily keep track of how much you are drinking over the week and beyond. It has a Drinks Manager to help you spot when you are overdoing it, gives practical tips on cutting down and shows you how much you are spending each week.
Get the app for iPhone or iPad (Free)
Get the app for Android (Free)
AlcoDroid
This Android-only app is an alcohol consumption tracker, drinks diary and blood alcohol content calculator. AlcoDroid helps you get a better handle of what you drink and change your drinking habits. Optionally it also tracks costs of your drinks.
Get the app for Android (Free with in-app purchases)
Stop smoking
Smoke Free
Offers you 20 different, evidence-based, techniques to help you become – and stay – smoke free. You can log your cravings, get tips on dealing with them and use the map to see patterns in where you smoke.
Get the app for iPhone or iPad (Free with in-app purchases)
Get the app for Android (Free with in-app purchases)
NHS Smokefree
This app from the NHS provides daily support and success tips, as well as tracking how much money you are saving by quitting. It lets you record a motivational picture, video or audio to remind you why you’re giving up and links you into local NHS smoking services.
Get the app for iPhone or iPad (Free)
Get the app for Android (Free)
Get yourself fitter
Apple Health
If you are an iPhone user with iOS 8 or later you may have noticed the Health app that is already installed on your phone. Health helps you record a wide array of information about your health and wellbeing and gives you a single place to log health information and view how it changes over time. It can record information such as the number of steps you walk in a day, the number of calories you are burning while exercising, your heart rate or even your glucose level. It links to fitness bands and the Apple Watch and can work with other third party apps.
Lifesum
This is a food and exercise diary which lets you track your weight progress and lose up to 2lbs in a week, or just keep track of your eating habits.
Get the app for iPhone, Apple Watch or iPad (Free with in-app purchases)
Get the app for Android or Android Wear (Free with in-app purchases)
Couch to 5K
Couch to 5K is an NHS fitness programme designed to get you off the couch and running in 9 weeks. It offers support through a website and weekly podcasts as well as apps for iOS and Android. Remember that it is important to consult your GP or other medical professional before making major changes to your exercise routine.
Get the app for iPhone, or iPad (Free)
Get the app for Android (Free with in-app purchases)
Yoga Library
This gives you yoga positions and exercises for every environment, ability, and age. And judging from the screenshots – any furniture too!
Get the app for iPad (£2.29)
Zombies – Run!
This is just brilliant. Need motivation to get walking or jogging? How about being chased by zombies? It’s a bit like Runkeeper. Only with zombies moaning and groaning in your headphones, prompting you to leg it. Great fun.
Get the app for iPhone, Apple Watch or iPad (Free with in-app purchases)
Get the app for Android (Free with in-app purchases)
Charity Miles
Want to get fit and do good at the same time? Of course you do. Charity Miles lets you earn corporate sponsorships for every mile that you walk, run, or bike – and it’s really simple to use.
Get the app for iPhone or iPad (Free)
Get the app for Android (Free)
Eat well
My FitnessPal
Designed to help you manage your diet, MyFitnessPal has the nutritional information for over 3,000,000 different foods. Plot your weight loss/gain targets and manage your progress as well as record your meals and meal times.
Get the app for iPhone, Apple Watch or iPad (Free with in-app purchases)
Get the app for Android or Android Wear (Free with in-app purchases)
NHS BMI healthy weight calculator
This is the official NHS app for measuring body mass index (BMI). It works for adults and children using the Department of Health’s official measurement system. You can also use it to set weight loss goals and get tips and advice.
Get the app for iPhone (Free)
Lifesum
This is a food and exercise diary which lets you track your weight progress and lose up to 2lbs in a week, or just keep track of your eating habits.
Get the app for iPhone, Apple Watch or iPad (Free with in-app purchases)
Get the app for Android or Android Wear (Free with in-app purchases)
Foodswitch
An app that lets you take simple steps to better health by reducing high levels of fat, salt and sugars in you and your family’s diet. You can scan barcodes of packaged foods with your camera and see what’s in the food you’re eating, see similar foods that are healthier based on established nutrition criteria and share your healthier food choices with your friends via Facebook, Twitter or email.
Get the app for iPhone or iPad (Free)
Get the app for Android (Free)
A good night's sleep
Sleep Cycle
If you struggle to get out of bed in the morning, this could be one for you. It promises to make waking up easy! The app analyses your sleep and wakes you in your lightest sleep phase, which apparently makes you get up feeling rested and relaxed. It also generates detailed sleep statistics and sleep graphs so that you can track your sleeping patterns over time. It will also link to Apple Health (see fitness section above) so that you can add sleep information to your health record.
Get the app for iPhone or iPad (Free with in-app purchases)
Get the app for Android (£0.99)
TMSOFT White Noise
Many of us have trouble sleeping – this could help. It features ambient sounds of the environment to help you relax during the day and sleep well at night. You can also download versions for Mac and Windows computers.
Get the app for iPhone or iPad (Free – paid version also available)
Get the app for Android (Free – paid version also available)
Sleep Genius
The Sleep Genius app was developed by experts in neuroscience, sleep, sound, and music following our research helping NASA get astronauts to sleep. It includes a sleep program to help you get the optimal night’s sleep and gradually awakens you with a gentle 5 minute Revive Cycle scientifically created to help you wake to soothing sounds, welcoming you to a new day. It even offers a programme to help you Power Nap which they claim could improve your alertness by 54%.
Get the app for iPhone or iPad (£3.99)
Get the app for Android (Free with in-app purchases)
Mindfulness
Headspace
This app is an introduction to meditation which promises better self awareness, perspective and focus. It might be for you if want less stress and worry, want to smile more, be present and become a better listener. It hopes to make you experience peace of mind and a better mind-body connection. Be aware that some of the in-app purchases are very expensive.
Get the app for iPhone, Apple Watch or iPad (Free with in-app purchases)
Get the app for Android (Free with in-app purchases)
Calm
Need a little more calm in your life? This app offers you a seven day guide to meditation as well as a range of calming music. There’s also a seven day programme to improve the quality of your sleep. More features including a 21 day meditation programme are available with in-app purchases.
Get the app for iPhone or iPad (Free with in-app purchases)
Get the app for Android (Free with in-app purchases)
What’s Up?
What’s Up? is a free app utilising some of the best CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and ACT (Acceptance Commitment Therapy) methods to help you cope with Depression, Anxiety, Anger, Stress and more! It gives you strategies to overcome negative thinking patterns, a mood tracker, allows you to set goals, offers breathing techniques, and gives access to a forum where you can interact with others.
Get the app for iPhone or iPad (Free)
Get the app for Android (Free)
Moodnotes – Thought Journal/Mood Diary
This iOS only app aims to help you capture your mood and improve your thinking habits through an innovative approach to journaling! Moodnotes lets you track your mood over time, avoid common thinking traps, and develop perspectives associated with increased happiness and well-being. It is an iTunes Editor’s Choice and has been the number 1 paid app in 19 countries including the UK. It has a companion app for the Apple Watch.
Get the app for iPhone, Apple Watch or iPad (£2.99)
Happify
Happify claims to bring you effective tools and programs to take control of your emotional wellbeing. Their techniques are developed by leading scientists and experts who’ve been studying evidence-based interventions in the fields of positive psychology, mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy. It offers to help you reduce stress, overcome negative thoughts, and build greater resilience.
Get the app for iPhone or iPad (Free with in-app purchases)
Get the app for Android (Free with in-app purchases)
