Exercise is crucial for people with arthritis. It increases strength and flexibility, reduces joint pain, and helps combat fatigue. Of course, when stiff and painful joints are already bogging you down, the thought of walking around the block or swimming a few laps might seem overwhelming. But you don’t need to run a marathon or swim as fast as an Olympic competitor to help reduce arthritis symptoms. Even moderate exercise can ease your pain and help you maintain a healthy weight. When arthritis threatens to immobilize you, exercise keeps you moving.
Common causes of joint injuries
Joint injury can be caused by a number of things, including:
- Running too fast
- Lifting weights that are too heavy
- Not stretching after a workout
- Not warming up or cooling down
- Overexerting yourself in a class
How to protect your joints from injuries
To keep your joints healthy and strong:
- Wear supportive shoes
- Exercise the muscles around the joints to keep them strong
- Warm up prior to exercise and cool down afterward
- Increase your exercise intensity gradually
The best exercises to protect your joints
Jones recommends the following three exercises to strength the muscles around your joints.
Bodyweight squat
Protects: Knees, ankles and hips
- Stand in front of a chair or bench with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Lower yourself to the seat of the chair or bench, touch lightly and return to stand.
- Tip: Keep your knees in line with your feet and never let them extend past your toes or you’ll risk injury.
Assisted or unassisted pullup
Protects: Shoulders and elbows
- For the assisted pullup, stand on the platform of a pullup machine and grab the machine’s handles securely. For an unassisted pullup, start at the bottom of a pull-up position.
- Begin with your arms fully extended, adjust the weight on the machine as needed and pull all the way up until you shorten your joint angle.
- Tip: Remember to breathe normally as you perform the move.
Pushup
Protects: Shoulders and elbows
- Start at the top of a pushup position with your hands shoulder-width apart, keeping your body in a straight line.
- Lower your chest toward the floor, then extend your arms and push back to the starting position.
- To modify the position, do a pushup on your knees or while standing, using a bar or wall.
- Tip: Be careful not to sag your back while doing a pushup.
Taking supplements together with these exercise will further support your knee health and achieve the results you want.