Arthritis is a painful condition that results when your joints become inflamed. This causes you to experience pain and swelling in your joints, making it difficult to perform everyday activities such as walking to your mailbox or opening a jar. While pain can make the prospect of movement seem unappealing, exercise benefits arthritis sufferers. This is because exercise keeps the tissues that support your joints such as the muscles and cartilage strong, which helps to prevent a loss of mobility due to inactivity.
Step 1
Stretch your muscles every morning and night. Start with a five-minute walk to warm the muscles and then stretch the legs, hands and arms to relieve muscle tension. Examples include reaching your arms overhead and to each side, pulling your knee up to your chest or flexing the foot and lean forward to stretch the back of the legs. Hold each stretch for 15 to 30 seconds, then release the stretch.
Step 2
Perform at least two hours and 30 minutes of aerobic exercise per week. Pursue low-impact exercises such as walking, cycling or swimming; high-impact exercises like running may place too much strain on the joints. Aerobic exercise helps you to burn calories, which help you to maintain a healthy weight and put less pressure on your joints.
Step 3
Exercise in the water to help your joints to move more fluidly and strengthen your muscles. Try taking an aerobics class or simply walking in a pool.
Step 4
Perform exercises with a resistance band, ideal for those with arthritis because it allows you to make slow, controlled movements. Step on the resistance band, taking one end in each hand. Slowly pull the resistance band in toward your chest to strengthen your biceps.
Step 5
Practice isometric exercises, which do not require movement yet enable you to tighten your muscles. Concentrate on contracting your muscles, such as your abdominal muscles or quadriceps muscles to strengthen the legs. Performed isometrics at any time during the day.
Step 6
Take yoga or Pilates classes to stretch and strengthen the muscles. You also can purchase a Pilates or yoga DVD for beginners to perform at home. At first you only may be able to exercise for 10 to 15 minutes. Try to increase to 30 minutes at a time.
Things You'll Need
- Resistance band
References
- Arthritis Foundation: Introduction to Exercise; 2011
- Arthritis Foundation: Top Three Types of Exercise; 2011
- University of Washington Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine: Exercise and Arthritis; 2009
- MayoClinic.com: Arthritis; Aug. 5, 2009
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Arthritis of the Knee; October 2007
- The Alpine Clinic: Range of Motion Exercises
