Q: Post-traumatic arthritis is normally caused by an injury (often a sports injury, or an injury at work), and it is exacerbated (or made worse) by continual weight bearing and stress and strain on the joint. If you are overweight, weight loss is one of the key lifestyle modifications you can make to decrease the stress on your arthritic joint, and hence to reduce the pain.  Note that if you are not currently overweight, this strategy does not apply to you. It only applies if you are currently above your ideal body weight. Speak to your doctor or to a nutritionist about a healthy weight loss plan for you, and ask him what your ideal body weight should be. It is important to lose weight in a way that does not compromise your nutrition (such as extreme dieting), and in a way that is sustainable for you in the long term. Particularly if the injury that first led to your arthritis was sports-related, you may want to consider avoiding this sport, or reducing our involvement in it, to prevent further injury to the same joint or to other joints. Sports that put you at a higher risk of injury and that can lead to arthritis include ones with a lot of pounding such as running, as well as skiing, snowboarding, basketball, hockey, and football, among others.  For many people, giving up a sport they love in order to prevent further injury can be a challenging decision. Many people who injure themselves in athletics are very passionate about the sport they play. It is important to consider not only your short-term satisfaction of playing the sport, but also your long-term quality of life, which may be compromised if you continue to put undue stress on your injured and arthritic joint. Think about whether there are any other lower-impact sports or activities you enjoy. Perhaps you can try swimming, riding a bicycle, or water running, as all of these activities are excellent for your cardiovascular health and fitness and also low-impact for your joints. If you have a physically demanding or strenuous job that stresses your injured joint, ask your boss if you can switch to alternative duties at work. Perhaps there is a desk job you can do, or another task that does not involve the same amount of physical stress and strain.  Consider getting a medical note from your doctor that explains to your boss the importance of not further stressing your injured and arthritic joint, particularly if the initial traumatic injury was sustained at work. If you were injured on the job initially, look into the possibility of worker's compensation and/or employment insurance. You may receive coverage. If your injury is particularly severe, you may get disability pay without needing to return to work. One way to reduce the pain in your joint from post-traumatic arthritis is to see a physiotherapist who can prescribe exercises for you to strengthen the muscles surrounding your injured joint. Strengthening the surrounding muscles can help to reduce the impact and the load on the joint itself. The exercises prescribed to you by your physiotherapist will depend upon the nature of your injury, and which joint specifically is affected. Consuming more turmeric and ginger (both of which can be used as spices on your food) helps to combat inflammation and the pain from post-traumatic arthritis. It is also recommended to consume more fish, which is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and/or walnuts and flaxseed which also contain omega-3 fatty acids. Finally, consume plenty of organic fruits and vegetables; the antioxidants contained in these can help with post-traumatic arthritis. There are a variety of supplements that have been shown to help with osteoarthritis (the type of arthritis that most often develops post-traumatically). These include evening primrose oil, omega-3 fatty acids, chondroitin, and glucosamine sulphate. Speak to your naturopath if you are interested in trying natural supplements as a means to treat your post-traumatic arthritis.
A: Consider weight loss. Choose lower-impact sports and activities. Ask for modified duties at the workplace. See a physiotherapist. Modify your diet. Consult a naturopath.

Q: Once your car crosses a national border, it becomes a national law enforcement issue as well as a local police issue. This is especially important if you recover the car yourself, because you may be detained at the border.  Notify the local police department as soon as your car is recovered. They may have an officer come and meet you at the border to process the recovery of the car. At the border, let the border agents know that your car was reported stolen and has been recovered. Provide identification as well as proof of ownership to ensure you aren't detained any longer than necessary, or that your car is not impounded. If the police find your car, they'll take it to the impound lot for processing. To get your car out of impound, you'll have to provide proof of ownership and pay impound fees, which may be several hundred dollars.  The detective who found your car will give you a phone number for the impound lot to which your car was towed. Call them ahead of time and find out how much you owe in towing and impound fees, and what methods of payment are accepted. Ask if the car is in drivable condition. Otherwise, you may need to make arrangements to have a tow truck meet you at the impound lot so you can get your car to a mechanic. As soon as possible after you hear from the detective that your car has been recovered, call your adjustor. They will update your claim and let you know what you need to do if your car is damaged. Typically the insurance company will tell you to take your car to a mechanic to get it inspected, even if there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with the car. Take them up on this, otherwise you may end up paying out of pocket if a problem occurs later, even if it happened as a result of damage from the theft. Use a flashlight, and look all through the interior of your car, between and under seats, and in all storage compartments. Look for items that do not belong to you, which may be evidence of another crime. If you find anything that doesn't belong to you, notify police immediately. Don't touch it or move it, and don't move your car until police come and process the evidence. Even if there doesn't appear to be any damage done to your car, it's a good idea to take it to a mechanic for an inspection. There may be damaged parts that won't affect how the car runs until later.  Mechanics will inspect your car thoroughly and provide a written estimate of repairs to be completed. If you're paying for repairs yourself, you can choose which you want to do now and which you want to save for later. The mechanic will tell you which repairs must be done immediately. When repairs are coming out of your own pocket, you may want to get more than one estimate so you can make sure you're getting the best deal. If repairs are being covered by your insurance, go through the estimate and be honest about any problems that your car had before the wreck. For example, if the mechanic has included repairing scratches to the paint on a door, but you know the scratches have been there for months, let them know that doesn't fall under the insurance claim. It may seem like a minor thing, but letting insurance pay to repair something that wasn't part of your claim is insurance fraud.
A:
Contact national authorities if your car is recovered in another country. Retrieve your car from the police impound lot. Let your insurance company know your car has been recovered. Search the car's interior carefully. Get an estimate for repairs.