Exercise for Arthritis Pain

Those who suffer from arthritis need different forms of exercise for arthritis pain.

If you, or someone close to you, have likely heard from doctors and other arthritic suffers about the importance of getting regular exercise.

Regular exercise for arthritis pain will keep your joints loose and limber, improve muscle strength and improve bone health.

However, getting the right amount of exercise and doing the right kind of exercises not always easy.

One of the greatest challenges that many arthritis patients face is a lack of proper exercise programs. Recent surveys indicate that many arthritis patients feel there is a lack of exercise programs that specifically address the special challenges faced by their condition.

Fortunately, health professionals are becoming more sensitive to the particular challenges faced by arthritis sufferers and have some tips to help:

* Your first step is to warm your body up. This means that you should be stretching, touching your toes, or trying to, some knee bends, etc, or just getting started very slowly. This 'warm up' shoul be five -ten minutes before starting the main part of your exercise or routine.

Warming up will give the entire body, especially yourjoints and muscles, the time they need to get ready for the more active exercise to you have planned.

* Now that you're warmed up you can start the exercises. But the question is what form.

How about walking? Try to find a quiet, safe area you can walk. Pair up with a walking or hiking buddy to keep you motivated, or take the dog for a walk.

Another outdoor exercise is gardening. Gardening and yard work not only helps to beautify your environment, but can help you get the right amount of exercise.

A lot of arthritics find relief from arthritis pain and discomfort through water exercise and you should have no trouble find classes. Most every pool has a class from your community pools to the local health club.

Most find that these exercises are fun and relatively easy, even for non-swimmers. The pool should be warm and comfortable. Common types of water exercises include under water stretching and simply movement through water. Water exercises help to exercise the muscles and joints without putting them under excessive strength.

A study published by the American College of Sports Medicine found that elderly patients who practiced water exercises on a regular basis experienced considerable relief from their symptoms and better overall health.

In the study, two groups of elderly women ages to 60 - 75 were studied to gauge the effects of water exercises on elderly arthritis patients. Half of the women participated in water exercises for twelve weeks, while the other group of women did not participate. The women who did participate in the water exercises reported several benefits. These include a feeling of greater flexibility and range of motion, better oxygen intake, more muscle strength, greater agility, and weight loss.

Yoga is an effective yet gentle enough exercise that can keep your body flexible while not overexerting your joints and muscles. Beside the physical benefits (of which there are many), yoga can provide relaxation and anxiety-reducing effects that can linger long after a session on the mat. Try yoga when your feeling stressed, tired, or stiff.

How you move your body, and how you choose to move it has a tremendous effect on your health and overall sense of well-being. Gentle yet effective exercises such as walking, gardening, water exercises, bicycling, and yoga can restore your body's sense of health, vigor, and well being.

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What is arthritis?

Arthritis is an inflammatory disease of the joints and other parts of the body. Arthritis is actually more than 100 different diseases and affects one out of every 7 people of all ages. People with arthritis experience pain and loss of movement and function. Arthritis can be very disabling and is a lifelong disease, but can go into remission. Each type of arthritis is different and has a different cause.
Literally means joint inflammation. Can be used to indicate a group of more than 100 rheumatic diseases. These diseases affect not only the joints but also other connective tissues of the body, including important supporting structures such as muscles, tendons, and ligaments, as well as the protective covering of internal organs.
Inflammation of a joint. An increase in the amount of synovial fluid in the joint is a result of this inflammation. Accumulation of synovial fluid in the fetlock joint is called a "wind puff" or "wind gall." In young horses, a swelling in the fetlock joint, particularly on the front of the joint where the cannon and long pastern bones meet, is called a "green osselet." This swelling is a result of inflammation and reactive changes of the front edges of these two bones and adjacent cartilage.