Exercising regularly can help relieve arthritis pain and stiffness, improve sleep, and maintain a healthy body weight. It can also strengthen muscles and bones and improve balance, which is especially important for people with arthritis.
Visit www.laclinicasc.com to consult with your doctor or physical therapist before initiating an exercise program. They will recommend a plan that meets your needs and safely avoids joint aggravation.
Strengthening Exercises
A physical therapist can work with you to design an exercise plan that addresses the specific joints affected by your arthritis. It should include range-of-motion, strengthening, and aerobic exercises that get your body moving.
The goal is to strengthen muscles that support joints and reduce stress on painful ones. In addition, regular exercise can help reduce bone loss that occurs from inactivity and some types of arthritic medications.
For hand arthritis, an occupational therapist can teach “tendon-gliding” exercises to improve the ability of your fingers and hands to grasp objects.
Other exercises that improve posture and balance, such as gentle forms of yoga and tai chi, can also help. Just be sure to warm up before exercising to avoid overworking your muscles and joints.
A simple stretch or a short walk can be a good start. If the exercises cause pain, stop them immediately. If you continue to experience pain, talk with your doctor or physical therapist.
Flexibility Exercises
A regular exercise program can help ease joint pain, improve balance and decrease stiffness, but it’s important to listen to your body and do only what you can manage.
Exercises that focus on flexibility, balance and strength are better for people with arthritis, such as yoga, tai chi and Pilates, said Melissa Bentivoglio, cofounder of Frame Fitness in Miami, which offers Pilates workouts in a customized reformer machine.
For example, to build upper-body flexibility, stand against a wall and ensure your back and arms touch the wall. Hold this position for 10-30 seconds and then lower your hands. Repeat this five times on each side.
Stretches also improve joint mobility and lessen stiffness. Try wrist circles, ankle circles and shoulder rolls.
These exercises should be done daily, even during a flare up. Aim for at least 20 minutes of stretching three to four times a day. Remember to warm up before exercising and cool down afterward.
Aerobic Exercises
It can be tough to stick with a regular exercise program when you’re feeling arthritic pain. But exercising regularly helps maintain joint function, relieves stiffness and can decrease fatigue and depression.
Aerobic exercises improve cardiovascular health and endurance, help control weight and build muscles while protecting joints. Good choices include walking, bicycling, swimming, rowing and the use of an elliptical machine. You can also try isometric exercises that contract muscles without movement for example, clasping your hands together.
Exercise programs aimed more at flexibility, balance and strength are also beneficial. Yoga, tai chi and Pilates may be particularly useful for people with arthritis.
It can take six to eight weeks for your body to acclimate to new physical activity, so be patient. Work up to about 150 minutes of aerobic exercise a week, if possible. Break it up into 10-minute segments, if needed.
Use a warm-up or cool-down period to stretch out muscles before and after your workout.
Water Exercises
Whether your arthritis affects your knees, hips, hands or back, water exercises can help. The buoyancy of the water relieves stress on joints, and its natural resistance increases muscle strength. Water exercise can also be performed at a slower pace than traditional land-based workouts, so you can work out longer and get more of a workout.
In addition to reducing joint stress, water exercise can improve cardiovascular health and increase muscle endurance and strength.
When performed regularly, these benefits can decrease pain, increase range of motion and help you feel better in general. Water walking, jogging and swimming are good choices for overall fitness and to build endurance.
With a pair of pool “noodles,” you can perform a simple exercise by standing in water shoulder-deep or higher, with the noodles looped around your back, palms up and elbows in.
Slowly raise and lower your arms pushing against the water’s resistance. Repeat 10 times. Then, lower your arms to your side.