Will Exercise Help My Arthritis Treatment?

Arthritis has become a very common disease in today’s busy world. Many people do not pay heed to it until it becomes a hindrance in one’s daily chores. Many a times there is no option left than to pop pain killers daily in order to get rid of the disturbing pain.

Arthritis – Now, a lifestyle disease.

Arthritis is a joint condition which may involve one or more joints of the body causing inflammation and as a result pain, which may be bearable or unbearable.

Arthritis in the past would occur to people in a specific age and geographical condition. Now days the urbanization and unhealthy lifestyle itself is a reason enough for one to develop arthritis. Arthritis can now be labeled as a lifestyle disease. People living a sedentary lifestyle, having a sitting job, postural errors etc are few causes which may lead to arthritis these days.

Just medicines for arthritis treatment will not do:

Only taking medicines and waiting for the pain to get better will not suffice. One has to put extra efforts to supplement the treatment. It is nothing but exercise, to be done regularly.

Exercising in a scientific manner does support the arthritis treatment. Daily workouts specific to your arthritis should be performed. Care should be taken not to overdo the exercise in anticipation. Morning work outs always help compared to the evening ones. The reason being, morning is the time when one has the maximum energy and the body is well charged up for the day. There are some exercises which are contraindicated for arthritis which one should be aware of.

It may be very difficult for one to get started with the regime of exercise out of laziness as one is not accustomed to do them. Set a target and get going!

Role of exercise in patients already on arthritis medication:

• Regular walking with good shoes on an even surface will improve your walking posture (gait) even with arthritis.
• It also prevents early damage of the joints and keeps it healthy
• Exercise also delays the need for surgery.
• A proper exercise strengthens the joint, makes it flexible, reduces joint pain and delays fatigue
• Swimming is one of the good exercises for people suffering from arthritis of the knee. It helps in reducing the knee pain and improves flexibility of the joint thereby reducing the dependability on anti inflammatory and pain killers
• Yoga is one exercise that improves muscle strength around the joint and lubrication with the joint space thereby delaying the wear and tear of the joint.
• Most importantly it helps you reduce and maintain weight. Hence, it reduces the frequency of taking pain killers on an off due to weight bearing knee arthritis.
• Different exercises like range of motion exercises, strengthening exercises and aerobic exercises increase your stamina, give you a good start for the day, give you a sense of well being with confidence.
• Exercising improves your work quality as pain may less interfere with your daily routine
• Last but not the least exercise and yoga heals you from within naturally. You can therefore avoid taking unnecessary medications and further get rid of side effects it may cause you.

Rules to kick start an exercise regime:

• Plan your daily routine and act accordingly
• Do not make exercise a Compulsion, rather make it a Habit – because, you cannot get rid of habits.
• Get yourself enough sleep. A minimum of 6-7 hours of sleep is sufficient.
• Set an achievable goal for yourself as per your age, immunity and pathology involved in arthritis.
• If you are a believer in “One is lonely, two is company and three is a crowd” grab a partner similar to your age and it will be preferable if he/she is having the disease same as yours. A good company will definitely help you achieve your goal.
• Above all, “Do not look back and ask why, look forward and say, why not”.

If you found this blog useful, do let us know. We’d love to hear your comments in the form below. If you would like to know more about Dr Rajesh Shah’s homoeopathic treatment for arthritis, do give us a call on +91-22-66888888. You may also write in to our doctors at info@lifeforce.in or visit us at http://www.askdrshah.com/osteoarthritis.aspx or http://www.askdrshah.com/rheumatoid-arthritis.aspx or http://www.askdrshah.com/app/ankylosing-spondylitis/ankylosing-spondylitis.aspx