Joint Pain Relief with Exercise

by Michelle Howard Smith (all rights reserved)

Joint pain is caused by inflammation and stiffness.  There are different types of joint pain with Arthritis being the most common.  This can make physical activity difficult with the fingers, knees, and arms experiencing pain when bending.  However, don’t be discouraged.  Exercise doesn’t have to be completely eliminated from your daily regimen.

There are different remedies for alleviating joint pain to help the body move to exercise including medication or alternatively magnetic therapy products, which help with chronic pain.  A magnetic ankle brace or knee brace can help support the joints and reduce swelling and chronic pain so that you can exercise.  Exercising will help increase the strength in the joints for a stronger body.  Here are some suggested joint pain exercises to strengthen your joints:

• Walking – People that suffer from joint pain are often overweight.  Losing weight can alleviate the pressure on the joints.  Walk in comfortable walking shoes on even surfaces or on a treadmill.  Walking also burns calories and stretches the body.

• Dancing – Dance classes such as ballroom dancing and salsa dance classes provides full range of motion of the arms and legs.  You get a good workout and the motion also helps with pain management.

• Bicycling – This is relaxing exercise that allows your legs to benefits from a full range of motion while you pedal.  Make sure you aren’t leaning forward too much by adjusting your bike seat.  You’ll prevent back injury when your seat is properly adjusted.

• Aerobic Exercise – Aerobics strengthens the bones which in turn strengthen the joints.  This is especially beneficial for women who are prone to osteoporosis.  Take an aerobics class and work at your own pace.

• Weight Training - This increases muscle mass and strength.  The muscles attach to bones and aid your movement.  Weight training is very beneficial for strengthening the joints.

When experiencing joint pain, it may be difficult to exercise but doing any of the above suggested joint pain exercises for 20 minutes 3-4 days per week will help alleviate the joint pain.  These exercises, specifically for joint pain will help to increase your body’s flexibility, strength and will aid in weight loss which is a common cause of joint pain.  Start slowly and don’t be discouraged.  Over time, as you get stronger you will be able to increase the duration and intensity of the exercise. And by all means, use alternative pain relief products to help you while you are exercising your body and building strength.  You will find that if you are experiencing chronic pain, you will be able to exercise more easily with support.