{"id":1837,"date":"2024-03-19T15:57:21","date_gmt":"2024-03-19T19:57:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.asbury.org\/asbury-methodist-village\/blog\/2024\/03\/19\/top-exercises-for-those-with-arthritis\/"},"modified":"2024-03-19T15:57:21","modified_gmt":"2024-03-19T19:57:21","slug":"top-exercises-for-those-with-arthritis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.asbury.org\/asbury-methodist-village\/blog\/2024\/03\/19\/top-exercises-for-those-with-arthritis\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Exercises for Those With Arthritis"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"residentMotivating yourself to exercise is challenging for many, and most particularly for those dealing with arthritis pain. But exercise is just as critical for arthritis sufferers, if not more so. This is because inactivity makes your joints stiffer and lessens their flexibility. In the long run, not exercising because you have arthritis pain may be worsening your condition.<\/p>\n

Consult with your physician before starting the following exercises. However, many seniors who have arthritis and live at Asbury retirement communities routinely take part in these exercises to maintain joint flexibility and improve their range of motion. For all of these exercises, work up to three sets of 10 repetitions each, unless you are able to start at that level easily. If a beginner, start with one set of 10 repetitions.<\/p>\n

Lower Body<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Hamstring stretch<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Keeping your back straight and holding onto a stable surface, lift your leg straight in front of you (or use a step or the wall) until you feel a stretch in the back of your thigh. Hold that stretch for 30 seconds. Do this three to five times per leg. This helps all lower body joints.<\/li>\n
  2. Hip flexor<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Stand in place and kick up in front of you. Do the same to your side, to the back and to your opposite side. Do 10 repetitions in each direction on each leg.<\/li>\n
  3. Leg extensions<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Seated in chair and lift your knee out in front of you in a controlled, extend your leg out in front of you. This strengthens your thigh muscles, or quadriceps, which takes pressure off of the knee.<\/li>\n
  4. Chair squats<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Use a chair without arms if possible and sit towards the front of the chair with your feet shoulder-width apart. Counting to three, come to a full standing position. Counting to three, sit. Keep the movement controlled; don\u2019t flop into the chair.<\/li>\n
  5. Heel lifts<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Holding onto a firm surface, lift your heel back toward your buttocks. This moves the knee joint, stretches the quadriceps, and works the hamstring, knee muscles and gluts. Hold for 10 seconds to start.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Hands (10 repetitions on each hand)<\/h2>\n
      \n
    1. Touch your thumb to each fingertip, one at a time. Come as close to the fingertip as possible without pain.<\/li>\n
    2. Take each finger and touch it to the palm of your hand.<\/li>\n
    3. Make a fist and spread your fingers as far as possible. if you have severe pain, don\u2019t make a tight fist and don\u2019t spread your fingers.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Shoulders<\/h2>\n
        \n
      1. Front raise<\/strong>\u00a0–\u00a0Holding your hand in handshake position ( thumb up), slowly raise your arm straight out in front and move up to your shoulder. Do both together if balance allows.<\/li>\n
      2. Lateral raise<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 This is the same exercise as above, but out to your side. Positioning your thumb facing the ceiling is typically more pain-free.<\/li>\n
      3. Stretches<\/strong>\u00a0–\u00a0Cup your elbow with your other hand and pull to across your chest and hold for 30 seconds. Release.\u00a0Slowly roll your shoulders backwards for 10 repetitions. Do one shoulder at a time or together.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        An indoor, heated pool is the best place to exercise if you have arthritis. The water\u2019s buoyancy relieves pressure on the joints, while the water warms and loosens them. However, these work equally well on land.\u00a0 As with all exercises, take it slow at first and stop if you feel pain. If you belong to a gym, two pieces of exercise equipment that work well for people with severe arthritis are recumbent bikes and NuStep machines. And don\u2019t forget good-old-fashioned walking. Depending on how severe your arthritis is, you may have to break up a 30-minute walk into three increments of 10 minutes\u00a0throughout the day.<\/p>\n

        Whatever you do, remember to move!<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Motivating yourself to exercise is challenging for many, and most particularly for those dealing with arthritis pain. But exercise is just as critical for arthritis sufferers, if not more so. … Top Exercises for Those With Arthritis<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTop Exercises for Those With Arthritis | Asbury Methodist Village<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Top Exercises for Those With Arthritis\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.asbury.org\/asbury-methodist-village\/blog\/2024\/03\/19\/top-exercises-for-those-with-arthritis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" 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