Are there any arthritis exercises that you can do to help with your pain and swollen or stiff joints? Actually there are, but you might be confused by those who tell you that arthritis and exercise generally do not go together well. However, what people fail to realize is that damaged joints need all the support that they can get to avoid further damage and degeneration. By getting proper and appropriate exercise, the muscles around the joints can be prevented from deteriorating because of inactivity and they can be strengthened to the point whereby they help to support the body as part of the supportive system that the joints normally would provide for by themselves. So exercise for arthritis sufferers is important.
Many people find that after exercise that their joints become less stiff and as long as they undergo moderate, regular exercises, the pain is managed and they rebuild their endurance levels and ability to remain flexible. Exercise is ideal for reducing any joint inflammation and helps to reduce any risks associated with other related and chronic types of disorders and conditions. Additionally, it may assist in promoting your overall fitness and health, improving your self-esteem, lowering any depression or anxiety, keeping your weight under control, letting you sleep more soundly and much better and most importantly giving you more energy that you would otherwise not get when suffering many arthritic conditions. Plus, when you exercise, other health issues are kept at bay, even prevented, such as heart disease and the debilitating arthritic disease called osteoporosis.
If you suffer from major pain, swelling and stiffness in your joints, the last thing on your mind is feeling more discomfort and if you are unfit, unfortunately you will need to battle that in order to reduce it and prevent them from being so severe or happening at all. Most importantly, you must remember that you have to start off with a slow and fun activity without over doing it to gradually ease your joints into moving about more. Flexibility type exercises are the first step to begin with. You can stretch and increase your mobility daily. Your second step is to start gentle weight training, adding in endurance type exercises such as long distance walking and cycling, but ever so gradually until you are fit enough to handle more.
When you start arthritis exercises, get your doctor to recommend you to a physiotherapist who can advise you on how to start, which exercises to do and what to do to cope with the pain and discomfort in the early days. Your doctor will also get you to drink plenty of water because the water will help keep you joints buoyant, increasing your motion range and rebuilding the strength that your joints have lost. You might wish to try such exercises as water walking, yoga and others found listed on most arthritis foundation websites.