Crack Joints Good Or Bad
Lacy Tortelli
Of course, when joints are stiff and painful, the thought of walking around the block or swimming a few laps might seem like too much. There's no need to run a marathon or swim for miles. Even moderate exercise can ease pain and help you stay at a healthy weight. In short, when arthritis tries to slow you down, exercise can keep you moving.
Talk to your care provider about making exercise a part of your treatment. The best exercises depend on the type of arthritis and which joints the arthritis is in. A member of your health care team, such as a physical therapist, can work with you to find the exercise plan that's best for you.
Exercises for arthritis might include exercises that put joints through their full range of motion and strengthening exercises. Exercise that raises heart rate, known as aerobic exercise, is also important.
These exercises lessen stiffness and put joints through their full range of motion. Examples of these exercises are stretching arms up high or rolling shoulders forward and backward. Most of these exercises can be done every day.
These exercises help build strong muscles that can support and protect the joints. Weight training is an example of exercise that can help build and keep muscle strength. Using resistance bands, hand weights or machines can help build strength.
Examples of aerobic exercises that are easy on joints include walking, bicycling, swimming and water aerobics. Try to work up to 150 minutes of somewhat hard aerobic exercise every week. You can exercise 10 minutes at a time if that's easier on your joints.
You might feel some pain and stiffness after exercise if you haven't been active for a while. In general, if pain lasts more than two hours after exercise, you might be pushing too hard. You might need to exercise less often or for less time. Talk to your health care provider about how to know when pain is a sign of something more serious.
If you have rheumatoid arthritis, ask your provider if you should exercise during flares. You might work through your joint flares by doing only range-of-motion exercises. Or you might exercise in water. Even during a flare, it's good to keep your body moving.
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It's the golden rule of joint health: The more you move, the less stiffness you'll have. Whether you're reading, working, or watching TV, change positions often. Take breaks from your desk or your chair and get active.
Your size affects some of the strain on your hips, knees, and back. Even a little weight loss can help. Every pound you lose takes 4 pounds of pressure off the knees. Ask your doctor what's the best way for you to get started.
Flexibility helps you move better. Try to stretch daily or at least three times a week. But don't do it when your muscles are cold. Do a light warm-up first, like walking for 10 minutes, to loosen up the joints, ligaments, and tendons around them.
Get stronger to give your joints better support. Even a little more strength makes a difference. A physical therapist or certified trainer can show you what moves to do and how to do them. If you have joint problems, avoid quick, repetitive movements.
Are your joints too stiff? You'll want to get back as much range of motion as you can. That's the normal amount a joint can move in certain directions. Your doctor or physical therapist can recommend exercises to get yours where it should be.
Stronger abs and back muscles help your balance. That means you're less likely to fall or get injured. Add core (abdominal, back, and hip) strengthening exercises to your routine. Pilates and yoga are great workouts to try.
It's normal to have some muscle aches after you exercise. But if you hurt for more than 48 hours, you may have overdone it. Don't push so hard next time. Working through the pain can lead to an injury or damage.
If you have RA joint pain, a fish dish could help. Fatty cold-water types like salmon and mackerel are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which help keep joints healthy. They also lower inflammation, which causes joint pain and tenderness in people with RA. Don't like fish? Try fish oil capsules instead.
Calcium and vitamin D can help. Dairy products are the best sources of calcium, but other options are green, leafy vegetables like broccoli and kale. If you don't get enough calcium from food, ask your doctor about supplements.
Stand and sit up straight to protect joints from your neck down to your knees. A walk can improve your posture, too. The faster you go, the harder your muscles work to keep you upright. Swimming can also help.
Ice is a natural pain reliever. It numbs the ache and eases swelling. If you have a sore joint, apply a cold pack or ice wrapped in a towel. Leave it on for up to 20 minutes at a time. You can also try a bag of frozen vegetables wrapped in a towel. Never put ice right on your skin.
Stores are filled with products that promise to relieve joint pain. Glucosamine and SAM-e have the best research behind them. Talk to your doctor if you want to give supplements a try. They can help you decide what's safe and what might affect your medicines or health conditions.
They can add to the breakdown of cartilage in your joints. If you get hurt, see your doctor right away for treatment. Then take steps to avoid more damage. You may need to skip things that put too much stress on your joint or use a brace to keep it stable.
Arthritis is a leading cause of pain and disability worldwide. You can find plenty of advice about easing the pain of arthritis and other conditions with exercise, medication and stress reduction. How do you know what will work for you?
Focus on stretching, range-of-motion exercises and gradual progressive strength training. Include low-impact aerobic exercise, such as walking, cycling or water exercises, to improve your mood and help control your weight.
Many types of medications are available for arthritis pain relief. Most are relatively safe, but no medication is completely free of side effects. Talk with your doctor to formulate a medication plan for your specific pain symptoms.
It's no surprise that arthritis pain has a negative effect on your mood. If everyday activities make you hurt, you're bound to feel discouraged. But when these normal feelings escalate to create a constant refrain of fearful, hopeless thoughts, your pain can actually get worse and harder to manage.
Heat and cold. Use of heat, such as applying heating pads to aching joints, taking hot baths or showers, or immersing painful joints in warm paraffin wax, can help relieve pain temporarily. Be careful not to burn yourself. Use heating pads for no more than 20 minutes at a time.
If you have rheumatoid arthritis (RA), you might wonder how your diet affects your condition and if there's anything you can eat to help your symptoms. There's no specific diet that treats RA, but some foods can help lower inflammation (irritation, pain, swelling) in your body. They can also help you manage your weight, which is important to avoid excess pressure on your joints. And because they're good for you, these foods can help you feel better overall.
Research shows that the Mediterranean diet can lower inflammation and improve symptoms of RA. In one study, women with RA who ate a Mediterranean-type diet for 6 weeks had less joint pain and morning stiffness as well as better overall health than a control group that didn't follow the diet.
One of the reasons the Mediterranean diet is good for RA is its high content of omega-3 fatty acids. These are a healthy type of fat found in fish, nuts, and seeds that research shows can help lower inflammation and reduce RA pain, swelling, and stiffness.
These healthy fats also boost your heart health by lowering triglycerides -- a type of fat that can increase your risk of heart problems when you eat too much of it. They also help reduce the buildup of plaque in your arteries. Plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol, and calcium. Too much of it can block blood flow and cause heart attack, heart failure, and stroke. As RA increases your risk of heart disease, you want to take every opportunity to keep your heart healthy.
Beans are packed with fiber, which can help lower your levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a sign of inflammation. Beans also give you protein to keep the muscles around your joints strong. Red, kidney, and pinto beans are also good sources of nutrients such as folate, magnesium, iron, and potassium, all of which can give your heart and immune system a boost.
Broccoli and other green leafy veggies, such as spinach, Brussels sprouts, kale, and Swiss chard, are full of vitamins A and C, which protect you from free radical damage. Free radicals are unstable molecules that can damage your body's cells and cause and worsen RA. Broccoli is also a great source of calcium, which keeps your bones strong.
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