“Exercise is vital for optimising both mental and physical health of people with arthritis. It increases flexibility and strength, helps combat fatigue, and reduces joint pain. Regular exercise can keep the muscles surrounding the affected joints strong and control joint swelling and pain“, explained fitness trainer and medical researcher Layla Colling of Health Hero.
Arthritis pain can cause many to slow down and limit their physical activity. Not exercising, however, is pretty much a one way ticket to more health problems. In addition to arthritis-related problems, inactivity can lead to various health risks, including osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases, and Type II Diabetes.
Aside from your arthritis treatment plan, which typically includes medication, you can create a tailored exercise program to help manage your arthritis at home. Doing this will allow you to have a fuller grasp on dealing with your joint pain.
Benefits of Physical Activity for Arthritis Pain:
The main benefits of an exercise program for you or those you care for who live with arthritis are:
- To restore or preserve the range of flexibility and motion around affected joints.
- Increase muscle endurance and strength.
- Boost your mood.
- Decreases the health risks of a sedentary lifestyle.
Recommended Activities for Arthritis:
There are 4 major types of exercise that can make up all exercise programs, regardless of the participation level. Each of them will have a positive effect and help to reduce your arthritic pain.
Strengthening Exercises
Strengthening exercises can help you to build muscle that in turn will help protect and support your joints and muscles. This can also contribute to better daily function, help reduce bone loss related to lack of activity, and some forms of inflammatory arthritis.
Weight training is an excellent example of strengthening exercise. Do make sure to talk to your doctor of physical therapist before starting.
3 days a week can be a great kick-starter for your strength training. Remember to avoid exercising the same group of muscles two days in a row. It’s important to let them rest between workouts and to take an extra day or two if your joints are painful or swollen.
Flexibility Exercises
Flexibility or ‘range-of-motion‘ exercise can help relieve stiffness and increase your joints’ ability to move. This type of exercise can help with:
- Better posture.
- Improved function.
- Reduced risk of injuries.
Flexibility exercises include stretching activities. This is where you would gently bend and straighten your joints in a controlled manner as far as they can comfortably go will help condition the affected joints.
Some good examples of flexibility exercises would be:
- Yoga
- Tennis
- Golf
- Tai Chi
Aerobic Exercises
Aerobic or ‘endurance‘ exercises can help with your overall fitness. They can improve heart health , control your weight and give you more energy. Examples of low-impact endurance exercises are swimming, walking, cycling and using an elliptical machine.
Aerobic exercise is beneficial when carried out regularly. This may mean a daily walk or a swim in order to benefit completely.
Body Awareness Exercises
Body awareness exercises are less heard of but by no means less important. This type of exercise consists of activities that will help improve your balance, posture, coordination and joint position sense. You can, however, achieve most of these through the first 3 types of exercise – this is why body awareness exercise is less heard of.
Relieve Yourself from Arthritis Pain with the Right Exercise & Tools
Physical activity and arthritis can and should co-exist together. For those who live with arthritis and exercise regularly experience less pain, have better sleep, more energy and an improved day-to-day function. Before jumping into a new exercise regime, it is recommended that you talk with your doctor or physical therapist first to ensure the exercise won’t aggravate your joint pain.
Here at Uccello Designs, we focus on helping making people’s lives easier in this area by offering assisted living products. Arthritis pain can mean you have limited or reduced mobility and/or strength. Thus making your everyday activities such as lifting a kettle that bit harder. This is where we can help with our Uccello Kettle, Grip Mat and Muggi Cup Holder.
Check out our shop page for more information.
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