Exercise is not only important to strengthen your muscles and keep fit, but it can also reduce joint pain.1
Joint pain may be caused by a direct injury to a joint or by arthritis. While exercise is important for everyone, it’s particularly important for anyone who has arthritis and is strongly recommended.1-3
Exercises to strengthen the body’s joints work by building the muscles around the joints for greater joint stability and flexibility. Joint strengthening exercises may help keep a joint’s range of motion at its best.1,4,5
Exercise can also help to improve stiffness which may assist in managing pain.1,6,7
Examples of simple exercises that can be done to help strengthen your joints include exercise such as:
Swimming.1,5 Swimming is a great aerobic exercise that can also strengthen muscles and joints with a lower risk of joint wear and tear than running.
Cycling.1 Riding a bike is another excellent low-impact exercise to help strengthen joints and improve overall fitness.
Range-of-motion exercises.1 These exercises involve moving the joints through their full range-of-motion, such as pulling your knees to your chest or raising your arms over your head. Range-of-motion exercises can help to reduce stiffness and increase flexibility.
Strength training.1 Strength-building exercises, such as weight training, can help to build the muscles around joints for greater strength and support.
Stretching/Flexibility.3 Stretching helps to increase joint flexibility, maintain a broad range of motion, relieve muscle tension and strengthen joints.
Ask your GP to recommend an appropriate routine for you.
Sufferers of arthritis may also benefit from exercises that target and strengthen specific joints. Knee injuries and knee pain, for example, are common. Exercises that strengthen the muscles and support the knees can help reduce pain and improve function.8
Try strengthening exercises that work the quadriceps muscle – the big muscle on the front of the thigh.7 Strength exercises that target the muscles around the hips may also help reduce hip pain.9
In contrast, anyone with joint pain should use caution when participating in exercises that are high impact, and may therefore worsen joint pain and inflammation. These exercises include:10
In general, always use caution when exercising, and stop if you have pain. In addition, if you are experiencing joint pain, ask your doctor or physiotherapist which exercises are the most appropriate.
Visit the Panadol Osteo website and join the FREE Osteo Information Programme for helpful tips and information on staying positive, staying active and eating well.
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