Do you wake up starting the day feeling stiff with a limited range of motion? If so, you’re not alone. According to the Arthritis Foundation, 60 million adults in the nation are affected by arthritis, the nation’s number one cause of disability.
This statistic makes it no surprise that arthritis is one of the most common orthopedic disorders. Arthritis, the rheumatic disease that affects joints and connective tissues around the body, typically causes pain, swelling and limited movement.
While osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are the most common types, there are more than 100 types of arthritis disease, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
More common in women and most closely associated with people of old age, arthritis can affect people of all ages. Usually chronic, arthritis is something many have to contend with on a daily basis, particularly those in the active aging category.
One type of treatment that doesn’t come from a bottle and can help make you feel significantly better on a daily basis is investing time in exercises that can improve your range of motion and reduce pain and stiffness.
The foundation considers movement “the best medicine” for arthritis. All you have to do is put in the effort to reap the rewards.
According to the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center, exercise can play a vital role in the management of arthritis by keeping the muscles around affected joints strong and decreasing bone loss, and it might help control joint swelling and pain.
“Regular activity replenishes lubrication to the cartilage of the joint and reduces stiffness and pain,” the Arthritis Center says.
The Arthritis Center recommends three goals of an exercise program for those living with arthritis: The first is to preserve or restore range of motion and flexibility around affected joints. The second is to increase muscle strength and endurance, and the third is to increase aerobic conditioning to improve mood and decrease health risks associated with a sedentary lifestyle.
The repercussions of not getting physical activity if you have arthritis can make daily living more challenging since you’re more likely to have increased muscle weakness, joint stiffness, reduced range of motion, fatigue and general deconditioning.
For those who prefer to work out at home, the Arthritis Foundation offers a series of workout videos you can access on its website.
In-person classes are also offered at such places as the West Chester Senior Center, Chester County, which features two classes that center on an exercise program that’s designed for those with arthritis.
The Senior Center’s program is taught by Jessica Tipton, who is certified by the Arthritis Foundation, among many other certifications.
“I incorporate the Arthritis Foundation class into my Level 1 and 2 classes,” she said. “The goal is to increase movement and blood flow.”
Tipton, who is also the fitness and wellness coordinator at the Senior Center, focuses on exercises that target a range of motion to promote flexibility.
“I go from the bottom to the top of the body,” she said.
Functional fitness anchors the program and includes standing exercises, hip movement and balls for hand squeezing.
“We focus on anything they would do in their day-to-day lives, such as reaching for something to pick it up,” Tipton said.
Other exercises involve sitting in a chair.
“We never go to the floor in any of my classes,” she said.
Offered five days a week at 10:30 a.m., 20 seniors usually attend each class that is free for center members.
Tipton is used to seeing many regulars at her half-hour class.
“Once you start moving and getting your blood flowing you start feeling better because you are increasing the blood flow to all of the joints,” she said.
In addition to the arthritis-centered fitness classes, the center offers guest speakers that cover many topics from exercise and nutrition to hydration.
“We have presentations from Main Line Health, Penn Medicine and Villanova nursing students,” Tipton said. “They talk about many topics from exercise and nutrition to hydration.”
For more information
• West Chester Senior Center: www.wcseniors.org
• Arthritis Foundation exercise videos: www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/healthy-living/physical-activity/getting-started/your-exercise-solution
