What is Arthritis?
The two most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Osteoarthritis occurs when the protective cartilage that cushions the ends of the bones wears down over time, leading to stiff and painful joints. Although osteoarthritis can damage any joint, the disorder most commonly affects joints in your hands, knees, hips and spine. Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory type of arthritis that can cause swelling and tenderness in the joints in our body.
These symptoms can affect a person’s ability to move and often worsens with age. Arthritis can often make it difficult for individuals to complete daily tasks or participate in activities, which can have a severe impact on both physical and mental health.
How Can Exercise Help?
Exercise is one of the best things for arthritis as it increases strength and mobility which helps you to move better. Specifically, exercise reduces pain, maintains muscle strength around affected joints, reduces joint stiffness, prevents functional decline, and improves quality of life.
Exercise can help:
Reduce pain and stiffness
Increase functional mobility
Strengthen muscles around your joints
Improve sleep
Increase energy levels
Improve bone density
Improve balance
What Exercise Can I Do?
Of course when stiff and painful joints are already getting you down, the thought of walking or going for a swim may seem overwhelming, however you don’t need to be running 100miles or training like an athlete to manage arthritis symptoms.
Research shows many forms of exercise, such as strength training, walking or exercising in a pool, can have an amazing effect on reducing pain, improving mobility and overall quality of life.
We know it can be hard to know where to start, but this is where the team at Total Exercise Physiology comes in. We are trained professionals at working with people with arthritis and have all the knowledge and skills to provide you with a specific, tailored exercise program just for you, to help manage your arthritis and get you back to living your life.
Book in with one of our friendly exercise physiologists today!
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