Nearly half of all seniors will suffer from some type of arthritis pain. Arthritis is inflammation in a joint, and can affect any number of the bodies joints including both hands and knees. While some medication can help to alleviate symptoms, one of the best teatements for arthritis to reduce pain and increase range of motion is exercise.

How Does Exercise Help Arthritis?

Arthritis can cause discomfort and pain due to joints feeling stiff. Regular exercise helps to reduce this stiffness, as well as increase muscle strength and flexibility, increase range of motion, increase bone density, and even icrease blood flow which reduces inflammation. Increasing strength and range of motion helps to reduce weakness and stress on your joints, which helps to reduce the symptoms of arthritis.

What Exercises Are Helpful?

For those in independent senior living in Kamloops, there are some simple exercises that can be done to help reduce arthritis symptoms. Before beginning, if you have pre-existing Heath problems, it is important to check with your health provider to make sure beginning an exercise is safe for you.

Often, exercises are broken down into categories that focus either on range of motion or strength building exercises. Examples of range of motion exercises include arm and leg raises, shoulder rolls, or dynamic stretching.

Strength exercises focus on the muscle groups around the joint, and often include manipulative such as elastic bands, light weights, and hand grip squeezers.

Talk to your doctor or health care provider to see what specific exercises can help with your arthritis. There is no reason to continue to suffer with uncomfortable symptoms, instead, work to start feeling better as quickly as possible. Also, don’t forget that exercise has many other health and mental well-being benefits! It’s a win-win.