If you’re living with arthritis and joint pain and stiffness due are already bogging you down, the idea of exercising or even just walking around the block can seem like a tall order. However, it is what you exactly need to effectively alleviate your symptoms.
Getting your joints moving helps improve their flexibility, stability, range of motion, and overall function, all of which translate into significant symptom relief. Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of exercise for alleviating arthritis pain as well as improving the overall health of your joints.
Strengthens Your Muscles
Joints rely upon muscles for stability and support: the stronger your muscles, the more capable they are of controlling the movements of – and absorbing the forces that impact – your joints.
Resistance training, a type of exercise that makes your muscle groups work against external force or weight, greatly helps improve their strength, mobility, and ultimately, ability to support your joints.
Keeps Your Joints “Well Oiled”
Each of your joints is surrounded by soft tissue called the synovial membrane, which produces fluid that acts like oil in an engine (synovial fluid). Synovial fluid allows for frictionless movement of your joints and cushions your bones.
Physical activity exposes your synovial membrane to a steady supply of oxygen and nutrients and boosts circulation of the synovial fluid. Better joint lubrication means less joint pain and stiffness.
Promotes Weight Loss
Excess weight can add to the strain on your joints. While exercise doesn’t reverse arthritis, it facilitates weight loss, which can help arthritic joints feel better and slow the progression of the condition.
Biking, swimming, walking, and water activities are all safe, nondrug ways to ease arthritis pain. What’s more, these forms of exercise can help improve joint function and brighten your mood.
Arthritis Treatment in Wellington and Royal Palm Beach, FL
If you have arthritis and you want to reap the benefits of exercise, it is best to consult your primary care physician. Ask your doctor about a referral to a physical therapist, who can put together a targeted exercise program for lasting pain relief.
Exercise, when overdone, can also harm your joints. A physical therapist can help you stay on the safe side and advance through stages according to what goals you have already achieved.
If you’re in search of a primary care provider in the Wellington area in Florida, consider us here at Advanced Medical Clinic. Our team includes a board-certified internal medicine physician and a board-certified family nurse practitioner who work hand in hand to bring one goal to fruition: to provide the highest quality of compassionate health care, so patients can focus on living their best lives.
To schedule an appointment with one of our providers, call our office today at (561) 434-1935 or use our convenient online request form.
