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DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor or in the medical field, or giving you advice, but did get this information from reputable resources. Be sure to speak with your doctor before you start any exercise routine.
How To Protect Your Joints Before You Start Exercising
- Make it low-impact – Low-impact exercises or exercise in the water to have less joint stress when moving.
- Apply heat – Heat can relax your muscles and joints and relieve pain. You can use warm towels, hot packs, or a shower as heat treatments, warm, not hot, and for about 20 minutes.
- Move with gentle motion – Moved gently to warm up, and then begin with range-of-motion exercises for five to 10 minutes before you move on to strengthening or aerobic exercises.
- Move with slow movement – Exercise with slow and easy movements. If you feel pain, take a break. Slow down if you notice swelling or redness in your joints.
- Apply ice afterward – Apply ice to your joints for up to 20 minutes as needed after the activity.
Exercise Helps Ease Arthritis Pain And Stiffness
It is crucial that people with arthritis exercise as it increases flexibility and strength helps combat fatigue, and reduces joint pain. Of course, this might seem overwhelming when your joints are stiff and you are in pain, but moderate exercise can ease the pain and help you maintain a healthy weight. I will be categorizing different regimens for arthritis.
Keeping your muscles and surrounding tissue strong is crucial to maintaining support for your bones. Not exercising weakens those supporting muscles, creating more stress on your joints.
Your doctor or a physical therapist can work with you to find the exercise plan that gives you the most benefit with the least aggravation for your joint pain, depending on what type of arthritis you have and the joints involved.
Exercises for Arthritis
Doctors or physical therapists might recommend range-of-motion exercises, strengthening exercises, aerobic exercises, low-impact aerobics, moderate-intensity aerobics, yoga, and other activities. Inform the instructor about your condition and avoid positions that can cause pain.
Range-Of-Motion Exercises
- These exercises relieve stiffness and increase your ability to move your joints through their full range of motion, and include raising your arms over your head and rolling your shoulders forward and backward. These exercises can be done daily in most cases.
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Strengthening Exercises
- These exercises help you build strong muscles that help support and protect your joints. Weight training can help you maintain or increase your muscle strength.
- Avoid exercising the same muscle groups two days in a row, rest a day between your workouts, and take an extra day or two if your joints are painful or swollen.
- When starting a strength-training program, two days a week is all you need to maintain your gains, but a three-day-a-week program can help you jump-start your improvement.
Aerobic Exercises
- Aerobic exercises help with your overall fitness. They can increase your stamina and energy levels, improve your cardiovascular health, and help you control your weight.
- Daily walking around your neighborhood, riding your bike, taking a spinning class, and speed-walking on a treadmill are a few aerobic exercises you can do without damaging your joints.
Low-impact aerobic exercises
- These are easier on your joints including walking, bicycling, swimming, yoga and using an elliptical machine. It is a good idea to work your way up to 150 minutes of moderately intense aerobic exercise per week.
- You can split time into 10-minute blocks to make it easier on your joints.
Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise
- This is the safest and most effective if it’s done most days of the week, but even a couple of days a week is better than no exercise.
Yoga
- Gentle forms of yoga or tai chi can help you improve balance, prevent falls, improve posture and coordination, and elevate relaxation.
- The Cat-Cow Pose, and Seated Spinal Twist are mentioned at Mayo Clinic fitness. These increase your flexibility and mobility.
Other Activities
- Activities such as mowing the lawn, raking leaves, and walking the dog can count as exercise, as long as you are moving that helps.
In Closing
Exercise is a must if you have arthritis, so keep moving to help alleviate the pain and stiffness. The benefits outweigh the pain!
Don’t exert yourself more than you think your joints can handle. Take it slowly and increase your exercise length and intensity as you progress.
Talk to your doctor about what pain is normal and what pain is a sign of something more serious. If you have rheumatoid arthritis, ask your doctor if you should exercise during general or local flares.
DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor or in the medical field, or giving you advice, but did get this information from reputable resources. Be sure to speak with your doctor before you start any exercise routine.
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Here is another post you might enjoy – How To Prevent Injuries When Exercising
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See you soon, Denise
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Posts may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases and collect a small commission at no cost to you. This helps my blog to keep going. Thank you! For more info, read my disclosure policy.
Really helpful information for people suffering from arthritis! Your posts are always motivational & inspiring!
Thank you Chris, I always appreciate your feedback! I remember other bloggers saying “give people something of value in your posts”.
Nice read and a great reminder how important exercise is at every stage of your life!
Thank you for your comment Michelle, I appreciate the feedback!
This post has some great information packed into it! Thank you for sharing these pointers!
As someone who has both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, this is very helpful. I tend to be an all or nothing type of person so switching to 10 minute walks a was especially useful for me.
This is great information for so many people. I feel like people with arthritis struggle in silence. Thank you for being a resource!
These are great reminders of ways to incorporate gentle movement 🙂 I once had a yoga instructor who used to always say “movement is lubrication for the joints!”
These are very good tips to help people with arthritis and avoid them getting stiffed and/or injured. Thanks!
I was diagnosed with RA over 45 years ago. My doctor at the time told me to do whatever I could to stay away from medication because was I to start then by now I would be on heavy painkillers and most likely in a wheelchair. I listened and do everything I can to exercise, do pilates, and quick walk. I also moderate and changed my eating habits and food intake. There is so much food that we cannot eat. My RA doctor is super happy with the results and I am thrilled of my agility and still dancing.