If achy, stiff joints make it tough to get up in the morning, ask your doctor about arthritis.
Arthritis (specifically, osteoarthritis) causes cartilage to break down. After a while, joints don’t work as smoothly as they should. Besides morning inflexibility, arthritis can cause pain after extended inactivity—like standing up after sitting for a while. Arthritis pain also worsens toward the end of the day.
It may be tempting to “self-treat” for arthritis pain relief by limiting movement, but that’s the worst thing to do. Strong evidence supports manual therapy with a physical therapist, exercise, education and weight management as effective interventions against arthritis, according to a recent report in Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy Review.
5 Ways to Find Arthritis Pain Relief
To help you feel better, choose activities that enhance strength and flexibility while balancing weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing exercise. To ease into a routine for arthritis pain relief:
- Begin with low-impact activities like walking, Pilates, aquatic therapy, elliptical training and/or stationary cycling.
- Enhance balance and decrease the risk of falling with yoga or tai chi.
- Start slowly by warming up for at least five minutes.
- Wear well-fitting shoes with shock-absorbing outer soles and insoles that match the contour of each foot.
- Stretch gently when you’re done.
Come back Friday for expanded information on ways to relieve arthritis pain.
This post was written by Stephanie Pino, DPT, physical therapist at Franklin Hospital.
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