Studies have proven that moderate exercise can actually decrease joint-related discomfort associated with arthritis. Exercise reduces stiffness while improving balance, movement and muscle strength.
Work closely with your physical therapist to devise an exercise program tailored specifically for you.
Strengthening
Exercise strengthens muscles that support joints, helping reduce load on painful joints while improving balance and coordination for easier movement. Gentle, low-level activity such as walking around your neighborhood can increase strength while relieving pain and tiringness.
People living with arthritis should choose low-impact aerobic exercises that won’t put too much strain on the joints, such as bicycling, swimming and walking. They can often be completed several days every week.
Fitness gains take time, but pain, fatigue and mood improve almost immediately. Some people with arthritis can also benefit from high intensity interval training – an exercise technique which alternates intense periods involving 85-95% of maximum heart rate with slower-intensity recovery periods; studies have demonstrated its efficacy at relieving fatigue associated with arthritis as well as other chronic conditions; physical therapists can instruct individuals in this form of physical activity.
Flexibility
Flexibility exercises involve moving muscles and joints through their full normal range of motion, helping improve posture, promote efficient movement, correct any incorrect body alignment and maintain muscle length and balance as well as reduce injury risk.
Flexibility is essential to all individuals, yet often taken for granted. Unfortunately, as people age their flexibility decreases.
Regular flexibility exercises can reduce stiffness and increase ease of daily tasks like sweeping or brushing teeth. Gentle stretches can be performed either at home or through fitness classes such as yoga or tai chi.
Start slowly and gradually increase activity levels to find what suits you best. Aim for 10 minutes of physical activity three times each day when you feel energetic; if pain or stiffness interferes, try different exercises at other times of the day.
Cardiovascular Fitness
Cardiovascular or endurance exercises engage large muscle groups in repetitive, rhythmic movement to promote heart and lung health, aid weight management, improve mood and build muscles without stressing joints. Examples of such exercises are walking, aerobic dance, swimming, bicycling or using a stationary bike – among many others.
Experts often recommend high-intensity interval training (HIIT), in which short intervals of exertion — 85 to 95% of your maximum heart rate — are alternated with lower intensity workouts for maximum fatigue reduction in people living with RA. Studies have proven this form of workout effective against fatigue.
Strengthening muscles around a joint helps it remain stabilized and decrease the strain placed upon it, relieving stress from it. To accomplish this goal, muscle-building exercises like push-ups and squats that target all major muscle groups are effective methods. Hand exercises designed to strengthen these major muscle groups may also increase grip strength while decreasing hand pain.
Balance
Synovial fluid acts like oil in a car to keep bones moving smoothly. Exercise also helps maintain muscle strength that supports joints.
Aerobic exercises such as swimming, cycling, brisk walking, yoga, T’ai Chi and Pilates all help improve lung and cardiovascular function as well as helping weight control, mood, sleep quality and overall well-being. Finding one you enjoy doing so you can maximize its benefits is key.
People used to living a sedentary lifestyle often find that starting an exercise program can be difficult, particularly if joint pain and fatigue prevent physical activity. With some advice and planning from medical professionals and physical therapists, you can quickly begin on the right foot – ask your physician or physical therapist what types of exercises would most benefit your lifestyle and how safely to increase it.