How to Exercise Without Increasing Your Joint Pain
Your joints handle an unbelievable level of stress and strain every day. For this reason, joint pain is extremely common among people of all ages. In some cases, the joints may even become inflamed, causing arthritis and increasing the discomfort being felt. Fortunately, there are a number of pain management products and tips that can offer pain relief for whatever is causing your joint pain. However, many people find that their daily activities make it difficult to stay pain free, as exercise and movement only cause joint pain to return. In these cases, patients can follow a number of easy tips that can help them avoid joint pain and possibly even reduce their discomfort.
Choose Low-Impact Activities
When it comes to exercise, try to choose an option that will allow you to keep one foot on the ground at all times, like walking. And while the latter rule doesn’t apply to them, swimming and cycling are often recommended to patients with joint pain as a way to stay healthy without aggravating joint pain. When it comes to work and daily responsibilities, however, pacing yourself is important to keep things from becoming stressful: work at a relatively slow pace, don’t force yourself to carry heavy loads, and take plenty of breaks.
Try Straight and Steady
Turns, pivots, stops and starts put pressure on your joints because they absorb shock. As a result, tennis and other sports can quickly become uncomfortable. Instead, try cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, or elliptical machines to avoid pain.
Improve Your Strength
While your first intention may be to stay healthy or simply get your daily responsibilities done, building up your strength can help you treat and avoid your joint pain. Try toning the muscles around your knees, hips and back to reduce pain, improve your posture, promote good alignment and increase your mobility.
If you have joint pain or arthritis, more activity can seem like a detrimental choice. However, activity increases your blood flow and lubricates your joints, which can decrease your pain levels. Additionally, weight management can be a great way to reduce the stress on your joints. Talk to your doctor today about activities and pain remedies that you can use to improve your daily life.