Updated December 8th, 2022
Introduction
How many times have you heard from someone older than you “don’t get old, you get arthritis and your body slows down.”? While the part about the body wearing down as we age is true, it does not mean that everyone gets diagnosed with arthritis. In fact, 24.5% of Americans suffer from arthritis each year. You don’t need to be one of them (1). Also, up to 80% of people over the age of 60 show evidence of arthritis on imaging, but only 15% have symptoms. So just because you may develop arthritis, this doesn’t mean you will have pain or reduced mobility (2).
I’m here to tell you that arthritis is both treatable and preventable. So even if you are having symptoms that I will talk about below, there is still hope for you.
What is Arthritis?
Arthritis is defined by “the degeneration or thinning of the articular cartilage.” We have cartilage in all of our joints that provides cushion to help us move without our bones cracking against each other with each movement. Over time, this cartilage begins to degrade due to lack of exercise, obesity, and other poor health habits. With less cartilage to protect our joints, the surrounding bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments are more prone to degeneration and injury. Many healthcare professionals will refer to this as osteoarthritis; “osteo” meaning bone, so arthritis of the bones/joints (2).
Common symptoms seen with arthritis are joint pain, stiffness, swelling, and reduced mobility. Unfortunately, the most common treatment for arthritis are medications that help reduce inflammation in the body. But exercise has been proven to help tremendously with this patient population (2).
Benefits of Exercise
Although there is no specific cure for arthritis, exercise is very beneficial for reducing pain and improving joint mobility. Like I said above, up to 80% of people have arthritis but only 15% show symptoms. So even if exercise cannot eliminate the arthritis from your body, taking away your symptoms would be the next best thing, right?
Research has shown that both strengthening and cardiovascular exercises help reduce pain and improve muscle function in adults with arthritis. But these improvements don’t stick around if you stop exercising (3). So let’s go over some exercises that you should be doing 3-5 times per week in order to prevent and reduce symptoms of osteoarthritis in your knee.
Exercises
The most important key to exercising with arthritis is to find exercises that make you work without causing a major increase in pain. If the exercise you try causes a little discomfort or a stretch that you aren’t used to, that would be considered a normal response. But if the exercise causes immediate sharp pain or dull/achy pain that lasts all day, it’s not the right one for you. Give some of these exercises below a try and find out what works for you.
Conclusion
As a Physical Therapist, I see patients daily with pain and stiffness from arthritis. It is a very common issue, but doesn’t mean you will feel old and “creaky” for the rest of your life. The body craves movement, so give it what it deserves!! If you are looking for more exercises to do or need more guidance, consider seeing a Physical Therapist in the near future.
References
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