Physical activity can help relieve arthritis, but many people with the condition aren’t as active as they claim. Learn how to safely incorporate more exercise into your life.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Hi, I’m Dr. Sujatha Reddy.
We’ve all heard that regular exercise is important, and that goes if you have arthritis as well. In fact, physical activity can reduce the pain of arthritis and make movement easier. But research suggests that many people with the condition are getting off the couch less than they should – and even less than they claim.
The fear of aggravating painful joints may be keeping a lot of arthritis sufferers out of the gym—and on the couch.
To find out how much people really exercise, researchers asked more than 1,000 subjects with osteoarthritis of the knee to wear a device called an accelerometer. The machine measures how much, and how fast, a person moves.
Over the course of a week, only about 13% of men and 8% of women met the government’s recommendation of at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise.
What’s more, about 40% of men and more than half of women in the study did virtually no exercise at all.
By contrast, in surveys where people with arthritis have simply reported their activity levels, far more have claimed to get the recommended amount of exercise, which suggests they’re not being honest with researchers, or perhaps themselves.
Whatever the case, it’s easy to understand why it may be hard to get moving if you have sore joints. But it’s well worth the effort.
Not only can exercise help you feel better physically, it can also make it easier to cope with arthritis emotionally. And it can reduce your risk of other conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.
You don’t have to run a marathon or pedal at top speed. You can get results from small steps, like the ones you take down the street on a daily walk.You can get results from small steps, like the ones you take out your front door and down the street on a daily walk, onto the dance floor with a partner, or into the backyard to play with your children or grandchildren. Any activity where you’re getting your heart rate up counts.
And you don’t have to spend a long time at it. Just 10 minutes, three times a day on most days, can do the trick.
That even includes everyday activities, like pushing a shopping cart around your local supermarket.
Or playing a game of catch or hide and seek with your grandkids.
Before you start an exercise program, ask your doctor if you need to take any special precautions to protect your joints.
Begin every session with a warm up to get your joints and muscles ready
If you’ve been inactive, don’t try to do too much right away. Be patient and keep at it. Over time, you’ll build up strength and endurance.
If your joints hurt after you exercise, put an ice pack on them to bring down any swelling.
It’s also important to figure out which types of activities you’re most likely to stick with. Even if you never step into a gym or onto a treadmill, you’ll be in better shape once you get moving, and so will your joints.
Making rounds, I’m Dr. Sujatha Reddy.