Exercises to Help Your Arthritis Flare-Ups

More than 58.5 million Americans have arthritis, a group of diseases that cause pain, joint inflammation, and joint stiffness. Because arthritis can make it challenging to move comfortably, many patients take a step back from exercise and other physical activity. However, this can actually make symptoms worse. 

At Twin Creeks Orthopedics & Sports Injury Clinic in Allen, Texas, our expert team believes an arthritis-friendly exercise regimen is one of the best ways to prevent flare-ups and improve quality of life. Keep reading to discover how movement helps arthritis and three of our favorite exercises.

How does movement help ease arthritis symptoms?

If you have arthritis, you may assume that staying active will make your symptoms worse. The good news is that it’s actually the opposite — movement is medicine! 

To be clear, you don’t want to overdo it and injure yourself, but exercising regularly has several benefits. For instance, it strengthens the muscles around your joints, boosts circulation to joints and damaged cartilage, and improves your range of motion. Furthermore, staying active can help you lose weight. This is important because carrying around even just a few extra pounds can make arthritis symptoms worse.

3 types of exercise that can help ease arthritis flare-ups

Now that you know how beneficial exercise can be, let’s explore three activities that you can incorporate into your arthritis treatment plan:

1. Low-impact aerobic exercise

Aerobic exercises help strengthen your heart and lungs, but they can also support your joints. Low-impact aerobic activities, like walking, cycling, and swimming, are particularly beneficial. They don’t place excessive pressure on your joints, but they do build strength and flexibility and increase your range of motion.

2. Strength training

Everyone loses muscle mass over time, but this loss is especially acute for people with rheumatoid and other types of arthritis. While there’s no way to counteract this decline entirely, strength training can help. 

In particular, we recommend strength training exercises that work more than one joint, such as squats, rows, and presses. Spreading the weight across several joints reduces your risk of injury and helps support the muscles around those joints.

3. Range of motion exercises

Joint stiffness is one of the most common arthritis symptoms, regardless of type. So, anything you do to keep your joints mobile can help ease pain and improve your quality of life. A variety of range of motion exercises exist, but two of our favorites include yoga and tai chi. These ancient practices combine gentle movements and stretching to support flexibility, strength, and balance. Research suggests yoga can also help ease stress, a common trigger for arthritis pain.

Contact us to schedule arthritis treatment!

Arthritis flare-ups can affect your mobility and prevent you from doing activities you love. Thankfully, exercise can help ease these symptoms and get you back to your regular routine. Contact us today to start your treatment journey. Call (469) 342-3383 or book online.