If you have arthritis of the knee, you may have weak, stiff and swollen joints that cause you pain in the morning and during daily activities such as walking and kneeling. Although your arthritis may never fully go away, you can alleviate some of your symptoms by taking advantage of multiple treatments, including exercise therapy.
Significance
Exercising offers general benefits such as improved sleep, improved energy, enhanced mood, weight control and stronger muscles. However, exercise also offers benefits specific to those with arthritis. If you have arthritic knees, exercising can help prevent joints from becoming so stiff and keep bone and cartilage tissue strong, according to University of Washington's Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine.
Therapeutic Exercise Types
Exercises for arthritic knees can include range-of-motion exercises, strengthening exercises and fitness exercises. Range-of-motion exercises require you to gently move your joints through their natural motions for increased flexibility. A range-of-motion exercise for the knee might involve slowly and carefully extending and bending the knee. Exercises such as leg-lifts and walking up flights of stairs keep your leg muscles strong and aerobic exercises such as elliptical training help boost your endurance and can help you maintain a healthy weight. Maintaining a healthy weight reduces the amount of strain placed on your knees.
Recreational Exercise Options
Therapeutic exercises are the forms of exercise your doctor, occupational therapist or physical therapist recommends. Whereas therapeutic exercises help you achieve specific strengthening, range-of-motion, weight and endurance goals, recreational exercise activities should be for overall fitness and enjoyment. Low-impact activities such as water aerobics, biking and walking are your best options for aerobic exercise because they place less stress on your knees than do high-impact exercises such as running.
Considerations
Even though your doctor or therapist isn't responsible for developing a recreational workout plan, he can make exercise recommendations based on your type arthritis type. He can also give you knee-healthy advice that is specific to your exercise of choice, such as a modification you might make or a pair of shoes you might purchase to protect your joints, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. He may also recommend avoiding sudden intensity changes and suggest that you exercise at a specific time of day when you're least likely to be fatigued or in pain. Talk to him as soon as possible if your knee pain increases after you begin a new exercise.
References
- UW Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine: Exercise and Arthritis
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Arthritis of the Knee
- WomenFitness.net: Top 10 Exercises for Arthritis of Knee
- National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases: Q & A About Knee Problems
- myOptumHealth: Low-Impact Exercise for Knee Arthritis
