Tag: pain

Arthritis Exercises To Improve Movement

Arthritis Exercises To Improve Movement
Mike Herman

The biggest complaint for more sufferers of inflamed joints is
undoubtedly the pain that is associated with even the simplest
movement.

Accordingly many are looking for arthritis excercises to improve
movement.

Additionally, many individuals with this problem suffer from
impaired movement, forcing them to give up the activities they
once enjoyed and often requiring assistance to complete minor
tasks.

If you are suffering from arthritis, use exercises to improve
your mobility and decrease pain.

These activities are quite simple and usually do not take up a
great deal of time.

Improvement is noticeable immediately after beginning these
arthritis exercises, so individuals will be able to notice
improvement.

If you suffer from swollen, inflamed joints that can drastically
limit your mobility and hamper your active lifestyle. Consider
beginning arthritis exercises to decrease pain and increate your
movement.

Many sufferers have adopted yoga as a method to combat their
painful, swollen joints.

The slow, simple, stretching movements of this ancient Eastern
exercise allow individuals to combat stiffness and regain their
loss mobility.

Consider joining a group or session that allows you to interact
with other individuals, often in your same condition.

These group sessions will allow you to correctly learn the
techniques and tasks associated with the ancient activity so
that you are best benefited from the task.

In addition to yoga, many sufferers engage in other Eastern
practices like Tai Chi in order to regain mobility.

The slow, deliberate movements of Tai Chi allows individuals to
focus their mind and body on lessening pain and stiffness while
beginning a new chapter in their life!

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Arthritis exercise – strengthening knees and back

Arthritis exercise – strengthening knees and back
Karri Koivula

Squat, if it can be done without discomfort, is a great exercise for people suffering from hip, knee and back arthritis.

It doesnt do anything to the actual arthritis, but will help to maintain physical fitness and functionality.

Proper function of hip area is very important for pain free backs and knees; the stiffness caused by arthritis hinders this function and creates a situation, where you can end up having even more pain, than what would be caused by just inflammation or joint degeneration.

You want to ease in to squatting; if you dont ease in to it you might end up aggravating your knees/hips and back even more.

Great way to ease in to squat is to pile up some books on to a low chair, and the start to practise sitting down to it.

The chair will help to emphasize the sitting back motion, which is important when you first start to learn this movement.

And as your flexibility and ability to squat deeper increases, you can remove books accordingly.

Use common sense; if it squatting aggravates you conditions dont do it anymore.

Now, its possible that you are unable to squat because the nature of your arthritis just downright prevents that, if this is the case dont force the squat, its not exercise for all.

Important tip Trigger point massage

Before you start squatting, take couple of weeks to massage your back muscles, not forgetting glutes and hamstrings, daily with a tennis ball.

It would be also great to massage your psoas and abdominal muscles.

By doing this, you will increase the changes of squatting pain free.

About the author:

Related resources back at pain relief guide site, quick links below. Also, remember to download trigger point pain charts and tutorial (beta) – available at home page. And always remember to ask permission from a qualified health care professional, before starting to do any kind of exercise Glucosamine chondroitin sulfate for arthritis – Pain-relief-guide.com joint health supplements

Arthritis exercise

Arthritis exercise
Robert Kokoska

Thinking about exercise and arthritis? It is not uncommon for
people to show their horror at this thought. For many years it
was believed that arthritis and exercise doesn’t go hand in
hand. However a recent study has revealed that exercise can in
fact help people with arthritis. Additionally exercise is
becoming a vital tool in managing arthritis.

Regular exercise helps in improving the flexibility of the
joints, decreasing pain and rigidity in the joints. It also
helps in improving the general muscular structure of the body.
Besides it brings extra benefits as well which includes, better
overall fitness, more self-esteem and lower levels of
depression.

This article aims to deal with several exercise approaches that
can be used by arthritis patients to get pain relief and manage
arthritis more effectively.

Range of motion exercises involves trying to
move the joints in all possible directions. It is more of a
gentle exercise. It needs to be carried out on a regular basis
in order to decrease the rigidity of the joints and avoid
deformities. This exercise becomes more important for arthritis
patients who tend to avoid much joint movement due to high
inflammatory pain.

It is believed by some people that normal day activities like
dressing, bathing, housework are a substitute for ROM exercises;
however this is not the case.

Strengthening exercises are used in everyday
life to improve the muscular structure of the body, which allows
the body to withstand pain more easily. Similar arthritis
patients can use this exercise to help build strong muscles,
which will lead to more stable joints and less pain. This type
of exercise comes in two packages, which includes isotonic and
isometric.

Isometric exercises are used in conditions where the joint
motion is impaired. It involves tightening the muscles without
moving the joints.

Isotonic on the other hand, involves tightening the muscles in
coordination with joint movements.

Endurance exercises involve bringing the heart
beat level of your heart to an optimal level for a short period
of time. This optimal level of heart performance is acquired on
the basis of the patient’s age and physical condition using
computer. It helps in improving the cardiovascular fitness. In
order to increase the effectiveness of these exercises, these
shall be undertaken around 3 times a week. Carrying out theses
exercises helps patients achieve better physical strength and
improve mental attitude.

There are several exercises that be can undertaken by an
arthritis patient. Walking is an ideal choice. It helps in
building strength and improves mobility of the joints. It is
also helpful for maintaining bone health.

Similarly running can bring about pain relief to arthritis
patients. Research has shown that running on soft surfaces
doesn’t cause osteoarthritis. This is a good option for people
suffering from less extreme version of arthritis.

Yoga has long been an ultimate exercise for arthritis patients.
Yoga can help bring relief to joints, decrease pain and relax
muscles. It is also a good range-of-motion exercise as it
includes controlled movements, maintaining pressures, and deep
breathing relaxation. However this exercise must be carefully
used if the condition is getting worse rapidly and try not to
put pressure on the inflamed joints.

Cycling can be used as a low level exercise option. This
exercise can be carried in either position; freestanding or
stationary. Additionally, cycling equipment can be fixed and
altered according to the condition of the patient, in order to
make the experience easier and less physically imposing.

The aforementioned exercises give an insight into possible ways
of improving the health of patients suffering from arthritis. In
order to effectives of each technique it is essential to be
consistent. The exercise shall be started on a low note and then
build up gradually in order to allow the body to adjust to the
outside pressure.

Also it is important to keep in mind, that each exercise shall
be carried within its own limit. Excess exercise during
flare-ups can worsen symptoms. However before the exercise is
undertaken, it is important to contact your nearest doctor and
seek professional advice as each case of arthritis shall be
dealt on an individual basis. This can be help in seeking a more
effective approach to this condition.

About the author:
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Arthritis Drugs – Is the Cure Worse Than the Disease?

Arthritis Drugs – Is the Cure Worse Than the Disease?
Wendy Owen

Copyright 2005 Wendy Owen

Research is always ongoing into new and better medications for
arthritis which is a very good thing. But where is all this
leading us?

Of course we need effective pain medication for arthritis to
enable sufferers to live normal lives. But are all these
expensive medications controlling the disease or simply masking
the symptoms?

Here’s a “quick and dirty” lowdown on what’s currently available
both “over the counter” (OTC) and on prescription only.

For mild cases of arthritis –

Some milder cases of arthritis never make it into the doctor’s
surgery. Indeed the sufferer might not even be aware that they
are suffering from arthritis at all. They may be feeling a few
“aches and pains” which they put down to old age or even the
cold damp weather.

That may be all well and good, but even OTC medications can be
dangerous if taken over a long period of time. The concept of
“more is better” can also happen if the pain gradually becomes
worse. This can lead to serious side effects.

OTC medications include aspirin and ibuprofen. These medications
can cause intestinal bleeding and kidney damage in large doses.
Aspirin also destroys vitamin C in the body leading to lower
immunity.

For More Advanced Arthritis-

By this stage most people have consulted their doctor.
Prescription medication at this stage normally consists of the
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDS. These do target
the pain and inflammation of arthritis symptoms but have a range
of side effects including stomach upset, abdominal pain, and
ulcers.

People with high blood pressure, those with kidney problems and
especially people who have heart problems are especially at risk
with NSAIDS.

Enter the COX-2 inhibitors. These have been designed for people
whose stomach problems cannot tolerate the above. Unfortunately
the risks remain for chest pain, heart attack and stroke victims.

For Advanced Arthritis-

For those suffering extreme pain and swelling the medical
profession brings out the heavy artillery – Corticosteroids.
These drugs contain man made cortisone and can be injected
directly into the affected joints or taken orally.

Long term use of these can produce sleep problems, weight gain,
osteoporosis and loss of immunity. Also available to those for
whom nothing else seems to work are Biologic Response Modifiers
(Biologics). Biologics are derived from live sources, plants and
animals and are not manufactured chemically. They are mainly
used for sufferers of Rheumatoid Arthritis and are given
intravenously or by injection. They can’t be taken in tablet
form.

Biologics suppress the immune system which leaves people prone
to infections. They are also very expensive and can’t be stored
without freezing.

Also available mainly to Rheumatoid Arthritis sufferers are
Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDS) These work by
stopping the immune system from attacking the joints. DMARDS may
take up to three months to reduce symptoms but they do help to
stop joint damage even though they can’t repair any previous
damage.

Although these drugs are a boon to many, they work mainly at
masking the symptoms of arthritis and can’t reverse the damage
already caused. Most people thinks this is impossible, it isn’t!

Natural treatments for arthritis do exist and can significantly
stop some cases of arthritis, relieve pain and inflammation and
in some cases, reverse joint damage.

Definitely worth a try!

About the author:
Find out about the healthy way to treat osteoarthritis,
rheumatoid arthritis, gout and fibromylagia. Visit:
http://www.natural-arthritis-medication.com and sign up for our
6 part course. Wendy Owen is a health researcher and author.