Can You Exercise With Arthritis?

 One of the leading causes of disability in the United States is arthritis. This debilitating condition can keep many people sidelined from doing normal daily activates and living a healthy lifestyle. Being inactive and sedentary would seem to be the recommendation to alleviate the symptoms but research has shown that exercising can be one of the best methods to decrease pain. Working out either at-home or at a fitness center can be a way to exercise and naturally reduce your troubled joints.

First and foremost, before beginning any exercise program (especially if you have arthritis) you should consult with your physician. Every individual's case is different so your doctor may have other recommendations that are more personalized to help deal with your symptoms. Second, when beginning any exercise regime, especially if it is an arthritic individual, you should begin slowly to prevent injury and also program dropout. When performing any exercise, cease any movements that induce pain; not the normal burning from muscle contraction but arthritic joint pain.

Arthritis can flare up in prolonged episodes (lasting for days) that are very painful, making exercising extremely difficult! On days between flares, it is a good idea to perform your exercise routine to save you from inducing pain. A recommendation that many organizations have (for instance The Aerobics and Fitness Association of America) is to reduce your overall body weight by losing excess fat. By having a lower overall body weight you are decreasing the pressure exerted on your joints, reducing the daily pounding they take and making movements easier. If walking isn't painful, 45 minutes of walking can go a long way in helping increase your exercise capacity and help you manage your weight!

Beginners need to remember that the first thing you need to do is stretch. Stretching limbers up your joints which will help to increase your range of motion. Along with walking, individuals with arthritis can perform low-impact exercises like light-weight resistance machines. Machines are great because they keep the weight in a singular plane where it can't randomly move, fluctuate, or randomly roll which can cause severe pain or even injury.

Lastly, for chronically painful joints you can try isometric exercises. These are performed by holding the resistance/weight at a specific angle for a specified period of time. This keeps the joint at a specific angle (static) without moving; helping to reduce any pain experienced with joint movement and decreases your chance of injury. The beauty is that they are an efficient way to increase your overall strength and quality of life in a hopefully less painful manner.

Exercising with arthritis can be done and it should be done. Working out with arthritis can be very beneficial, helping you to increase your functional strength, all while reducing your pain! Remember to start slow with light resistance training or walking and hopefully your symptoms will decrease!