Arthritis Flexibility Exercises

The Arthritis Flexibility Exercises -
Combat Arthritis, and Increase Your Range Of Motion

These days, doctors recognize the benefits of exercise for arthritis sufferers. Along with medication, exercise is the single best step a person can take to reduce pain, increase mobiliity, and preserve joint form and function.

If you have arthritis, this may seem counterintuitive, or at very least, difficult to deal with.

"what, you mean I need to do the one thing my arthritis makes difficult to do?"

Yes, that is if you want to lessen the pain, and increase your ability to walk, move, bend, etc...it is vital that you exercise, and in particular, stretch.

What does stretching do for arthritis? Well, for starters, it can keep the muscles, tendons, and ligaments loose and relaxed, and it keeps the blood flowing through the joints and muscles. These two aspects are important to keep range of motion, as well as maintain joint structure and muscle strength.

These days, many doctors recommend stretching as part of the routine arthritis maintainance In fact, PhD Barbara Resnick says that stretching should be part of the DAILY routine for arthritis management, and many doctors agree with her.

So, if you want to start experiencing a better quality of life, and relief from pain, and more mobility, read the rules of stretching, and then start with some of the stretches listed below:

To avoid injury and get the most from your stretching,
follow these rules:

Warm up before any stretching. Muscle and other soft tissue will become more flexible after blood flow, so start with a 10 minute walk, or that isn't possible, a 5 minute warm shower to get the blood flowing.

If you have rheumatoid arthritis and are experiencing a flair up, avoid stretching. According to several leading arthritis experts, even mild streching during a rhumatoid flair up can further injur the joints.

Make sure all stretching is slow, steady, smooth. Do not bounce or yank your limbs during a stretch, because this can cause injury. When you stretch, you should hold your stretch just to the point where it is slightly uncomfortable. Hold it for 10 - 25 seconds, and then slowly relax. Most experts recommend repeating this several times, to maximize results.

Stretching should take about 10 minutes per day, and hit all the major muscle groups, particularly those that cause the most trouble due to arthritis.

If you have had any joint replacement (hip, knee, etc) consult a doctor to make sure these exercises are safe for you.

The Stretches:

Here are stretches that can relieve the arthritis symptoms. In fact, some of these are recommended by the arthritis foundation as excellent stretches to combat arthritis symptoms and provide some pain relief.

To Stretch Your Shoulders:
Stand straight up. Put your arms out in front of you, with your palms facing inward, and your fingers on each hand should be pointing at each other. Slowly raise your arms up until you feel a mild to moderate stretch. Hold for 10 - 25 seconds, then slowly lower your arms. You can take this stretch using one arm a time if you'd like.

Stand upright, and slowly shrug your shoulders one at a time upward. Slowly and gently relax the stretch as you lower your shoulders to the starting position.

To Stretch your Fingers, Back, and Shoulders:
Stand upright, and reach for the sky with your hands, and be sure to stretch your fingers completely apart as you reach for the sky. Slowly lower your arms to the side of your body and relax your hands as you do so.

To Stretch Your Hands and Fingers:
Clench your hand to make a fist. Keep your thumb on the outside of your fist. Slowly open your hand back up.

To Stretch Your Legs:
Stand upright in the center of the room with one hand on the back of a chair. Raise one leg out to the side until you feel a moderate stretch. Lower this leg back and cross it over your other leg. Repeat with the resting leg.

To Stretch Your Back and Legs:
Bend over to touch your toes, until you feel a moderate stretch. Slowly raise back up.

To Stretch Your Lower Back And Thighs:
Lie on a flat surface (a firm bed or exercise bench...but not a waterbed) and slowly bring your knee up to your chest. Hug your knee to your chest until you feel a moderate stretch. Slowly extend your leg out, and lower it again. Repeat with the other leg.

To Stretch Your Lower Legs:
Stand facing a wall, with your body 2 feet away from the wall. Put your arms out to touch the wall, and slowly bring your body close to the wall. Imagine doing a push - up toward the wall. Keep your feet flat on the ground. This will stretch the back of your legs.

Whether or not you plan on working out, these stretches should be done regularly, and most doctors recommend once a day. Even though stretching is just one aspect of treating arthritis naturally, it is one of the most important aspects to keep pain down and mobility up.