You’ve been diagnosed with arthritis – what does this mean? Arthritis is felt by pain in your joints. You may find these joints swelling, getting stiff and find it difficult to move. With arthritis, the pain can be worse on some days and mild on others. In severe cases, some people can’t walk or climb stairs.
There is hope though. Surgery (like joint replacement) is a possibility that can help down the line.
In the meantime, exercise can go a long way in easing your symptoms.
Having arthritis is not a death sentence
There’s a lot you can do to manage the pain and discomfort of arthritis. For starters, you can lose excess weight to help lessen the pressure on your joints. A healthy diet, moderate exercise, experimenting with heat and cold compresses, protecting your joints and continually checking in with your doctor are all important steps. Your doctor is in the best position to discuss pain-relief treatment or surgery suited to your specific situation.
Exercise can:
- Give you the strength and energy you need to make it through the day.
- Help strengthen the muscles around your joints.
- Help you to get a good night’s sleep.
- Assist you in maintaining bone strength.
- Control your weight (less weight means less pressure on joints).
- Improve your sense of wellbeing.
Get moving!
Fitness experts and physical therapists agree that when it comes to arthritis, stretching, strength training and low-impact aerobics can give you amazing results in terms of pain management.
These exercises are gentle enough to work well for arthritis sufferers:
- Walking
With our dependence on cars and other modes of transport, we don’t walk enough. Yet walking is really good for everyone (unless it’s too painful). Even just maintaining a moderate pace for about 40 minutes around the block or through the park can do wonders for your heart rate and bone strength. The further you walk, the greater your endurance. But even 10 minutes at a time is a good start.
- Water aerobics
This form of aquatic fitness can give you a full-body workout and be done at the public pool at a fraction of the cost of a gym membership. For starters, you can use the shallow end of the pool and walk at a brisk pace from side to side. Gyms also offer this form of exercise and some even have bicycles in the water for training.
- Standing up from the chair (Chair stands)
Chair stands are good for building stronger arm and leg muscles and can be done in the comfort of your home or even at the office. While sitting at a normal height, stand up and then sit down (without flopping down) by just using your legs for support. To target the arm muscles, use only your arms to raise and lower yourself into your chair. Aim for 10 to 15 reps.
- Pilates
This is a great way to stabilise joints and strengthen the muscles that support the joints. It’s not as complicated as yoga but has really good benefits for arthritis sufferers who need to build stronger muscles. Most gyms offer Pilates, but if yours doesn’t, you can always find an instructor online.
Exercise should be enjoyable, even with arthritis, so take your time and pace yourself carefully. Listen to your body and never try to exercise through the pain.