If you are one of the 22 million adults in America with disability caused by osteoarthritis, exercise may help, according to the Family Health Guide provided by Harvard Medical School. Exercise helps maximize your physical mobility now and later in life by increasing your joint flexibility, fitness level, strength, energy level and pain control.
Range Of Motion Exercise
Range of motion exercises help improve the flexibility and mobility in your joints, reduce stiffness and eliminate the tightening of tissues around affected joints. Flexibility allows for comfortable movement during regular exercise routines and in your daily activities. Plan to include range of movement exercises in your everyday routine and as part of any vigorous exercise for a warm-up and cooldown. Range of motion exercises should not cause pain, but will cause a stretching sensation as your reach your joints' or muscles' point of resistance, explains Heath Brown, a physical therapist at Rehabilitation Today in Bradford, Pennsylvania. Hold each stretch for 20 to 30 seconds before relaxing. Include stretches for all the joints affected by osteoarthritis, including your hips, knees, spine and hands. A hot bath or pain reliever taken prior to range of motion exercises may help increase your ability to stretch.
Strengthening Exercise
Strengthening exercise, or resistance training, helps strengthen the muscles around your joints to help absorb shock, support your joints and protect you from injury. By increasing the speed, number of repetitions or resistance used during range of motion exercises, you create strengthening exercises. The resistance can come from hand weights, resistance bands, body weight or exercise machines. Do not perform strength training exercises more than twice a week, according to the Family Health Guide. The amount of resistance you use and the number of repetitions for each resistance exercise will depend on the extent of your osteoarthritis and your current strength level. Find a weight that allows you to complete eight to 12 repetitions before your muscles feel too tired to complete another repetition, but that does not cause you joint pain.
Low-Impact Aerobics
Aerobic activity improves your cardiovascular health, provides a sense of well-being, builds muscle and helps control your weight. Low-impact aerobics can help you achieve all these benefits without placing too much stress on your joints, according to the Arthritis Foundation. Low-impact aerobic exercises include walking, using an elliptical trainer, riding a bike, swimming and rowing. Limit your participation in activities that place a lot of strain on your joints, such as running, and sports that require rapid turns and sudden stops, advises Brown. Structured aerobic activities, such as water aerobics, yoga and Tai Chi give you the option to exercise with a group. Aim for 30 minutes of moderately intense low-impact aerobic exercise on at least four days a week, states the Family Health Guide. If you cannot exercise for 30 minutes straight, break your workout down into shorter sections and slowly add on time until you can maintain a full 30-minute workout.
References
- Family Health Guide: Exercise: Rx For Overcoming Osteoarthritis
- Heath Brown; Rehabilitation Today; Bradford, Pennsylvania
- Arthritis Foundation: Choosing The Right Exercise
