If you have arthritis, participating in joint-friendly physical activity can improve your arthritis pain, function, mood, and quality of life. Joint-friendly physical activities are low-impact, which means they put less stress on the body, reducing the risk of injury.
Stay active, when you can
On the whole, the answer is "keep moving." Your joints were made to move. They need movement to nourish the joint and keep the muscles around the joint strong and limber. Doctors encourage their patients with arthritis to be as active as they can—as long as it isn't exacerbating joint pain.
The most common joints affected are knees, hips, spine, and hands. The pain of osteoarthritis increases with overuse and improves with rest.
Nearly a third of adults with arthritis are physically inactive. Yet a CDC study shows that severe joint pain is more common among adults with arthritis who are physically inactive. Physical inactivity is more common among adults with arthritis who live in states in the Southeast and are disabled or unable to work.
Adults with arthritis can decrease pain and improve function by about 40% by being physically active.
Pushing through pain is not the thing to do. If your joints are hot or swollen, exercise can increase the damage and cause more pain. Remember, arthritis pain and pain from a strenuous workout are not the same. A little soreness a day or two after a workout is OK.
However, many people with arthritis do not exercise, often because of joint or muscle pain, weakness, fatigue, or joint swelling. This can lead to loss of joint motion, stiffness, and muscle weakness and tightness. These problems can worsen fatigue and can cause joints to become unstable.
The most common triggers of an OA flare are overdoing an activity or trauma to the joint. Other triggers can include bone spurs, stress, repetitive motions, cold weather, a change in barometric pressure, an infection or weight gain. Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an inflammatory disease that affects the skin and joints.
While rest is important, if you are living a sedentary lifestyle, meaning you are sitting and resting more than you are being active, you may be seriously affecting the health of your joints and increase your arthritis symptoms.
For arthritis that affects the joints, running, jogging, jumping rope, high impact aerobics or any other exercise where both feet are off the ground at the same time are to be avoided. Hot yoga, also known as Bikram yoga, is a new exercise trend.
If you have rheumatoid arthritis, balance rest and exercise carefully: rest more to reduce inflammation, pain, and fatigue when your condition flares up, and exercise more when it calms down.
Strengthening your muscles can reduce joint stress by offloading the joint itself. Movement is the best medicine for osteoarthritis.
Physical activity is the best available treatment for OA. It's also one of the best ways to keep joints healthy in the first place. As little as 30 minutes of moderately intense exercise five times a week helps joints stay limber and strengthens the muscles that support and stabilize your hips and knees.
Studies indicate that exercise will not worsen rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. But if rheumatoid arthritis has severely damaged your hips or knees, you may want to choose low-impact exercises, such as swimming, water aerobics, walking or bicycling.
Walking is recommended for people with arthritis as it's low impact, helps to keep the joints flexible, helps bone health and reduces the risk of osteoporosis. If you do experience pain or you're very stiff afterwards try doing a bit less, factor in more rest and check in with your GP, if you need to.
1. Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids , which are abundant in fatty fish such as salmon or tuna, are among the most potent anti-inflammatory supplements. These supplements may help fight several types of inflammation, including vascular inflammation.
Bananas are high in magnesium, which helps strengthen bones and alleviate arthritis symptoms.
Heat and cold.
Use of heat, such as applying heating pads to aching joints, taking hot baths or showers, or immersing painful joints in warm paraffin wax, can help relieve pain temporarily. Be careful not to burn yourself. Use heating pads for no more than 20 minutes at a time.
Is it possible to reverse arthritis? A person cannot reverse arthritis, but they can manage their symptoms. Arthritis commonly causes joint inflammation with swelling, pain, and stiffness. According to the Arthritis Foundation, almost 60 million adults and 300,000 children have some form of arthritis.
Adults with arthritis should aim for at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity such as brisk walking or 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, like cycling at 10 mph or faster, or an equivalent combination.
Any joint in the body may be affected by the disease, but it is particularly common in the knee. Knee arthritis can make it hard to do many everyday activities, such as walking or climbing stairs. It is a major cause of lost work time and a serious disability for many people.