Main Menu

Ankylosing Spondylitis

Arthritis Cream

Rheumatoid Arthiritis Diet

Osteoarthritis Exercise

Exercise is the best way to treat the disease. Exercise can improve outlook, mood and increase in flexibility, improve the blood flow and heart, reduce the pain, maintain body weight or promote physical fitness.

Importance of exercise:

Exercise is very necessary for muscles and joints to prevent weakness and stiffness. Exercise is also important for maintain body weight. Arthritic joints are affected by over body weight and help to develop osteoarthritis. This disease will rapidly progress without exercise. There are so many types of exercise for osteoarthritis, therefore patients should discuss about it with the health care providers, before starting any types of exercise.

Stretching exercise is very useful to prevent injury and the stiffness developed with this disease. Another strengthening exercises will useful for strengthen the ligaments and muscles around the affected joints.

The following are the benefits of exercise for people who are suffered from osteoarthritis:

• Prevent the surgery treatment or improve function in a people with knee osteoarthritis.
• Improve movement and function of knee and hip joint.
• Improve balance and posture in old aged people.

Motivation to exercise

The following suggestions can be useful for motivate to exercise:

• Patients should record their efforts in the diary. Sometimes, it is motivated to people with osteoarthritis due to write down the progress.

• Patient should find a friend or relative to exercise with him/her. They can also join a support group. People with this disease who attend support groups have less depression and less pain.

• Patients can do exercise without any expenditure at a health club.

• Patients should record their special activities while doing exercise.

The following exercises will help to reduce the pain and joint stiffness:

Aerobic exercise: It is very effective to strengthen the lungs and heart. There are various types of aerobic exercises available for people with osteoarthritis such as walking, cycling, swimming etc.

Walking: This type of exercise can do any where indoors or outdoors through treadmill, city paths, and city parks. Try walking in the water and on the grass.

Cycling: This is also a good exercise which can do indoors or outdoors through Stationary exercise bicycle.

Swimming: For swimming, patients can join local health club. Swimming is the best option for people who are suffered from knee or hip osteoarthritis.

Range-of-motion exercise: It is a good exercises to prevent joint damage and improve in flexibility. There are many Range-of-motion exercise available such as:

Joint-specific exercises: These exercises are useful for a particular joint for example knee. It is very effective to prevent joint damage and improve motion in the particular joint.

General stretching exercises: This is the main type of Range-of-motion, which will help to move the affected joints. There are various general stretching exercises such as quadriceps stretch, hamstring and calf stretch.

Strength exercises: Strength exercises are very effective for people with any kind of osteoarthritis. It is used to maintain strength in joints and muscles. This type of exercises includes:

Dumbbells or lifting light weights, these can use at local health club or home also.

Safe, simple and useful exercises such as side leg-lifts, chin-ups, push-ups or other exercises that improve shoulder, neck, leg and arm strength.