Rheumatoid Arthritis Exercise Archives

The 5 Best Exercises for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Your body may have turned against you, but that doesn’t mean you can’t fight back.

Rheumatoid arthritis is classified as an autoimmune disorder.

This means your body has identified its own tissue as a threat. As a result, the soft tissues in your joints come under attack.

Over time, the tissue which provides a cushion between joints is eaten away. This causes swelling of the joints (and lots of pain), and can eventually lead to the erosion of the bones themselves.

This causes swelling of the joints (and lots of pain), and can eventually lead to the erosion of the bones themselves.

However, the disease can also begin to attack other soft bodily tissue found in organs such as the lungs, eyes, bone marrow, and blood vessels.

If you’ve been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, or if you suspect the condition might be developing, visit your doctor as soon as possible. [Read more…]

Low Impact RA Exercises: Pool Workouts To Ease Joint Pain

By Jenn W Leave a Comment

Everyone knows it’s hard to stay active when you have rheumatoid arthritis. Running is out of the question if you’re focused on developing good long-term exercise habits, and lifting weights can be difficult especially on your hand and other joints. So where do you start? There are a lot of low impact RA exercises out there, you just have to try things out and see what feels right and keeps you engaged. Let’s explore one of the most gentle, yet challenging workouts you can do.

Pool Workouts aka Water Aerobics

Water is a great option for people to ease rheumatoid arthritis pain. Not only does it burn a ton of calories, but the water also creates a low impact environment for your joints. Another great benefit is you’re working against the water’s resistance, so you experience a great cardio workout too. The best part is that even though you’re working out, it almost feels like you’re just playing in the water.

Water aerobics or pool workouts have evolved quite a bit over the last 20 years and now included a number of rheumatoid arthritis exercises specifically designed for the swimming pool. You can check out your local YMCA for classes, or if you have your own pool, that’s great too. [Read more…]

7 Important Hand Exercises for Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain

By Jenn W Leave a Comment

We use our hands for everything. It’s not until we begin to lose mobility and face years of pain that we realize how much we’ve taken them for granted. Daily tasks such as housework and writing become painful and take a long time to complete, and tasks that require small, delicate movements become almost impossible. And at times the pain can become almost intolerable.

What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease. Basically, your body’s immune system-which is responsible for protecting you from viruses and bacteria, begins to attack your joints instead. This immune response will damage both joints and organs-even the heart, so prompt treatment and early diagnosis is crucial.

Rheumatoid Arthritis usually affects the small joints in the feet and hands. The joints will typically swell, which can result in joint deformity and bone erosion, as well as stiffness in the fingers and hands. Not only will the joints be affected, but people with RA may notice that their eyes, lungs, blood vessels, and skin are also affected. [Read more…]

Yoga For Rheumatoid Arthritis: Pros and Cons Explained

By Jenn W Leave a Comment

yoga for rheumatoid arthritis

The word exercise has a totally different meaning to a person with Rheumatoid Arthritis. There are a lot of people that struggle to find exercise programs that feel good while working out and feel good after working out too. There is nothing worse than over-doing a workout. It’s not only painful, but the next time you’re getting ready to exercise you have the fresh memory of that last workout that had you in pain. Even though you may have experienced this vicious cycle, I encourage you to never stop looking. It’s that important.

It had to be at least 10 year ago when a friend recommended yoga as a low impact form of exercise that she thought was worth a try. When I did some research on the subject, I found that many people had used yoga for rheumatoid arthritis, and some with mixed results. However, it seemed like yoga could offer some benefits so I signed up for a yoga class and tried in home yoga for rheumatoid arthritis dvd’s too. [Read more…]