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Arthrosis? Move!
A man comes to the doctor: “Doctor, if I press here, it hurts.” The doctor says, “Then don’t press there.” A silly joke, but patients with joint pain all too often make exactly this mistake. If walking hurts, they stop walking. While you should keep moving if you have joint pain.
Joint pain is often caused by inflammation in a joint (arthritis). This is an inflammation that affects the cartilage. Another condition is osteoarthritis. This breaks down the cartilage. Bad conditions, because without cartilage a joint can no longer move smoothly. This damages the joint, which causes a (very) painful feeling.
Many people tend to give their body a rest when in pain. A logical and often sensible response, because if you do not lie down for a while with a throbbing headache, you will continue to suffer for a long time. Yet with joint pain you should do exactly what your body seems to tell you to leave it alone: move.
By moving the affected joint, you strengthen the muscles around that joint. And because stronger muscles provide more support, you also have less pain. In addition, exercise helps to reduce stiffness, lose weight and build a better condition.
Good sports for joint pain
There are various sports where you train your muscles without putting too much strain on your joints. These sports are ideally suited to reduce the pain caused by any form of arthritis.
Swimming
Step into the water, sink back and you’ll find that you don’t have to do much to stay afloat. The water pushes your body upwards and provides support everywhere. By moving slowly, the load on the joints is minimal. Your muscles will do the work and get stronger quickly if you hit the pool a few times a week.
To dive
Diving has the disadvantage compared to swimming that you have to carry a heavy oxygen bottle on your back, but the advantage that you add an extra dimension to swimming. At a diving school you can learn how to put on and take off the oxygen bottle in the water. This is ideal for joint pain, because you will not notice the weight of the bottle in the water. So you do not put any strain on your joints, while you do train your muscles with diving.
Water aerobics
You also benefit from the power of the water in water aerobics. You stand in the water up to your stomach or up to your shoulders and mainly train the muscles in the stomach, legs and buttocks. Encouragements help you to exercise intensively. Those who have trouble motivating themselves will benefit greatly from the uplifting music and the encouragement of the trainer. Be careful, because moving in the water can be so easy with (for example) osteoarthritis that you can easily overload yourself.
To walk
Walking is a great activity for joint pain. Not running again. When you run, you put stress on your knees and ankles, because they have to absorb a blow every time your feet hit the ground. During a walk, the load on your knee and ankle joints is minimal. You can also walk briskly. It is fine if you feel your muscles after a long walk. Also, consider leaving the beaten track every now and then. A walk through nature with small differences in height (hiking) is an excellent way to strengthen your muscles. Make sure you have good walking shoes and don’t overdo it: mountain climbing is again a bit too much of a good thing.
Nordic walking
Nordic walking is a healthy form of exercise for osteoarthritis in the arm joints. The popular walking sport with sticks is of course also a good training for the leg muscles. With Nordic Walking you burn more calories than when you just go for a walk. This also makes Nordic Walking extremely suitable for people who suffer from joint pain due to being overweight.
Kangoo Jumps
They look a bit odd, but Kangoo Jumps are great tools for moving around without putting a lot of strain on your joints. Kangoo Jumps are sports shoes with a special suspension at the bottom. You jump forward and strengthen the muscles at your ankles, shins, knees, hips and lower back. The over reach boots help athletes recover faster from an injury and are also a godsend for people with joint pain.
golf
Some people think it’s a bit elitist, others like to take the golf club in their hands at the weekend to take a few holes on ‘the green’. Whether you are an enthusiast or not, golf can be a good sport for joint pain, if done properly. Because you cover considerable distances at a leisurely pace, you train the leg muscles. It is wise to push and not pull a cart with clubs, so you do not pull your joints apart. Also consider combining golf with strength training. Then especially train the muscles in your forearms. This prevents your joints in arms and back from becoming overloaded when hitting the ball.
Misuse
When you’re on the bike, your legs don’t have to support your body weight. The joint load when cycling is therefore minimal. Many physiotherapists and general practitioners advise people with a form of arthritis to cycle as often as possible. Both the muscles in the upper and lower legs and around the knee joint benefit from this form of movement. It is unwise to get on a mountain bike in case of joint pain. Cycling in a sweat on an exercise bike is again a good idea.
belly dancing
Dancing is an elegant form of movement that can in many cases be combined well with joint pain. For example, exotic belly dancing is very suitable. The movements are more intense than you would expect. You will soon notice that a large number of muscles in your body are stimulated. Belly dancing isn’t just for women, by the way. Most dance schools also admit men who want to master this elegant form of movement. Belly dancing not for you? Then take a look at ballroom dancing. Tap and line dancing are not recommended for joint pain.
Yoga
People who are afraid that they can’t keep up with yoga because they can’t put their legs behind their necks need not worry. Yoga offers a wide variety of exercises that are good for both body and mind. The vast majority of the exercises can also be done by joint pain patients. A few years ago, small-scale research was done into the effect of yoga on joint pain. There were too few subjects to draw solid conclusions, but the people who took part found that yoga reduced their pain symptoms.
Which sports should you avoid doing?
There is an awful lot of possibilities in the field of sports. The sports described above are just a selection of all the options you have when you want to do something about your joint pain. For those considering other sports, here are another set of sports that physiotherapists advise against for joint pain:
- Intense ball sports, such as football, basketball, baseball, volleyball, tennis and squash
- Martial arts such as judo, karate, jujutsu, kempo and kendo
- Winter sports such as skiing, snowboarding and cross-country skiing
- Strength sports such as weightlifting or (mountain) climbing
fitness
Fitness is not recommended by all physiotherapists for joint pain. This is because with poor guidance, people with (for example) osteoarthritis often put too much strain on themselves and thus only make things worse. For fitness, a good training schedule is necessary and you must pay attention to whether you are taxing your muscles or your joints. If you have muscle soreness the day after the workout, you have done well. Muscle pain indicates that you are developing muscle mass. If you suffer (more) from joint pain the next day, then you have trained incorrectly and you must adjust your program (or have it adjusted). If you don’t, you run the risk of further damaging your cartilage.
Advice on sports with joint pain
Exercise for joint pain is good, but you should keep a close eye on your own body. Below are the answers to questions such as ‘how long’, ‘how often’ and ‘when am I not doing it right’
Warm-up and cool-down
What applies to people without joint pain, also applies to people with a form of arthritis: do a warm-up and a cool-down! Stretch and stretch before exercising and make sure your muscles are warmed up before you start exercising. Warm up your muscles further with a warm gel pack (or hot water bottle) and cool them down after exercise with a cold gel pack (or an ice bag). Consult with a physiotherapist or trainer about a good warm-up and cool-down.
How often and for how long?
It is wise to exercise at least half an hour a day. In case of arthritis, it is advisable to exercise more intensively at least every other day, for example by playing sports. It takes an average of four to six weeks before you start to notice the effect of this (less pain). That can be frustrating, especially since it can take even longer in some cases. Still, it’s important to keep going. Apart from painkillers and prostheses, exercise is currently the only known remedy to reduce joint pain.
Listen to your body!
For all recommended activities, listen to your body! Muscle pain after exercise is good, joint pain after exercise is not. You can easily recognize joint pain by its stinging nature. Muscle pain gives a sour feeling. Dosing is important. If you don’t feel anything at all after exercise (not even muscle pain), then you have been too gentle with yourself and the activity was not intensive enough. Your muscles will not become stronger and your joints will therefore not benefit from your effort. If you have a lot of pain for a long time after exercise (longer than one hour), then you have started too hard and you have to build up more slowly. Other indicators of this include severe fatigue and further swelling of the joints. Also be aware if you can make certain movements more difficult after exercise.
Consult with your doctor!
What you should not do with osteoarthritis or arthritis is to overload your body. Depending on the severity of the joint inflammation, it is advisable to discuss with your doctor or physiotherapist how much exercise is sensible. If in doubt or if you are in severe pain, always consult your doctor.