The Not So Secret Way To Avoid Osteoarthritis
March 4, 2011 by Eric
Filed under Fitness and Exercise
Regular Exercise: The best osteoarthritis treatment.
If you are 60 years of age or older, are overweight, and have a sedentary lifestyle, then you may be at serious risk for developing osteoarthritis. Researchers have yet to find the cause or causes of this debilitating condition, but exercising on a regular basis has been proven to significantly reduce your chance of getting it. There simply is nothing better when looking among all the natural health remedies available.
Individuals who suffer from the pain of arthritis, as well as those do not have osteoarthritis or who are not at risk of getting the disease, can experience tremendous benefits from a program of regular exercise, including:
• Less Painful Joints: Cartilage, the tissue that provides a cushion for the joints, is destroyed by osteoarthritis. When you don’t exercise, your joints become stiff and osteoarthritis accelerates, as counter-intuitive as this may seem. This is because joints need lubrication in order to function properly, and exercise increases this lubrication, resulting in a reduction in pain and stiffness.
• Stronger Muscles: In order to prevent the muscles and tendons that support joints from becoming weak, a natural occurrence as we age, engaging in regular physical exercise is a must. These muscles and tendons become stronger with exercise, and the joints they support receive the added support they need.
Reduced Pressure on Joints: An increase of a mere 10 pounds over your ideal body weight, according to medical studies, can add significant stress to your knee joints as you walk.
• As we have seen, a sedentary lifestyle makes osteoarthritis worse, but it can also lead to heart disease, stroke, high-blood pressure, some cancers, and diabetes. An osteoarthritis treatment which includes regular exercise can help reduce your risk of getting these conditions.
Don’t start exercising until you have consulted with your health care provider. With his or her approval, find an activity you enjoy and begin slowly. If your osteoarthritis is severe enough to prevent you from walking or jogging, or if it’s been a while since you have engaged in regular physical activity, participating in water-based exercise such as water aerobics is an excellent place to start because the buoyancy of the water will reduce the stress on your joints. After you have begun to strenghten your joints you can progress to a walking program in your neighborhood.
If you are an osteoarthritis sufferer, engaging in the following kinds of exercise will benefit you immensely:
• Yoga, Pilates and similar exercises which increase your “range of motion” and thereby lessen joint stiffness.
• Swimming, brisk walking, jogging and other aerobic exercises that increase your heart rate, as well as blood flow to your muscles.
•Weight lifting, training with resistance bands, and other forms of resistance exercises that strengthen the muscles and tendons that support your joints.
Whatever aerobic exercise you choose, whether it is dancing, swimming, or walking, you want to slowly increase your workout routine so that, eventually, you are exercising for 30 minutes, five days a week.
A physical therapist can provide additional support, including strategies for reducing pain, range of motion and stretching exercises, and strength training, for those who need it. Ask your health care provider for a referral.
In the pursuit of natural health remedies we simply can not ignore regular exercise, its is an excellent way to reduce osteoarthritis symptoms, as long as you are consistent. Be patient as it may take six to eight weeks to experience any results. Also, don’t ignore the signals your body gives you, and be sure to get an equal amount of rest.
Photo Credit: gfoster67
