Before beginning any exercise program, you should consult your doctor and then your physiotherapist, they will advise on the correct exercises for your particular condition. There will be many physiotherapists in your area that are fully conversant with this sort of thing.
There are many books on the subject, and it would be relatively easy to develop your own program, having consulted the necessary experts.
At this point it would be pertinant to point out that diet can also play a major roll in your improvement. There is an Anti Arthritis Diet that will help and assist the exercise regime.
There is no doubt that exercise does benefit the arthritic joints, but the amount of exercise you can do depends on the already damaged joints being flexible enough to do some work, and also not to increase the pain levels too much. There are some exercises that are easier to do than others. For example, swimming is good, because the weight is taken off the joints, and yet you can have a darn good work out! Cycling, also, is quite good, even just taking a daily walk will give untold benefits.
You know what you can do.....start slowly and build up towards your goals. I know that when I started swimming, I couldn't even swim the length of the pool, but within weeks I was regularly doing 30 lengths in a lunch break from work. (This is also great for your figure. I found that along with the diet, that I lost weight, improved muscle tone, and felt so much better after the "work out", that it was really well worth the effort)
It is important to remind you that you need to get professional help when starting your exercise regime, and after that you can build your own regime according to your ability and lifestyle. Good luck! |
