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Wyckoff Physical Therapists talking about Exercise and Arthritis Pain

Tom Willemann |

Wyckoff Physical Therapists talking about Exercise and Arthritis Pain

One of the most common types of Arthritis is osteoarthritis. This happens due to the breakdown of the cartilage. Arthritis is commonly seen in joints that include knees, hips, lower back, hands, shoulders, and neck. People suffering from osteoarthritis will feel stiffness, swelling and pain in the joints. This condition will occur over time as the joints will wear away. Carrying out day to day activities and other physical activities will get more and more difficult as the days go by. There are exercises that can help in reducing some of the symptoms that cause osteoarthritis.  If you were to schedule your rehab visit with Apex Orthopedic Rehabilitation, your Wyckoff physical therapist, you will find a caring and compassionate team of professionals who will help you on your journey to health and wellness.

How can exercises help in alleviate arthritis pain and stiffness?

Regular exercising can greatly improve your range of motion and the joint pain. In order to get the best out of the exercises, you need to choose the exercises that you can comfortably perform on a consistent basis. It is very important to choose exercises that will reduce the pressure on the affected joints. It is very important to maintain a healthy weight and shade of the excess weight you are carrying in order to decrease the load on the joints. A healthy diet and a moderate exercise regime will help in improving the Arthritis symptoms. There are plenty of low impact activities like walking, biking, are swimming that arthritis patients can do to reduce the pain and its symptoms.

Types of exercises that osteoarthritis patients can do

Aquatic classes
One of the best exercises to treat people with moderate to severe arthritis pain is to exercise in water. There will be less stress on the affected joints when exercises in water as it have buoyancy. It is better for the water to be warm as this will help in improving the mobility in the joints.
Yoga and Tai Chi
These exercise techniques will help in improving the body balance and the muscle strength. They will provide the necessary support for the knee and the hip joints.
Stretching
The range of motion of the affected areas will get a boost with proper stretching. The tight muscles will get relieved and it is important to perform stretching before and after a workout.

Tips when doing exercises

Start slowly and gentle
People with osteoarthritis must do exercises that have slow and gentle movements. It is very important to warm up the muscles and the joints before getting a serious workout.
Apply heat before and ice after exercises
Heat and ice technique is very important for arthritis patients doing exercises. Heat should be applied on the affected areas before the workout session. The soreness and the swelling of the joints after the workout can be corrected by applying ice to the targeted areas.
Exercising a must
It is very important to understand that lack of exercise can stiffen the muscles and the joints and make it painful. The muscles that surround the joints also get weak and put stress on joints. It is important to carry out light to moderate exercise activity to reduce the arthritis pain and enjoy life better.

Tom Willemann

Tom Willemann

Tom Willemann is a premier physical therapist based out of Bergen County, New Jersey. He holds an MS in physical therapy from the University of Miami, is credentialed in the world-renowned McKenzie Method of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT), and holds an OCS (Orthopedic Clinical Specialist) certification. As of 2018, there are approximately 14,000 ABPTS certified specialists in the nation and less than 400 of them are located in the state of New Jersey. Tom is the owner and director of Apex Orthopedic Rehabilitation in Paramus. He opened the clinic, which specializes in spine and sports injury prevention, in 2004 after many years of experience in the field. Tom’s caring interest in others and his strong belief in continuity of care, combined with his clinic’s ability to find solutions for the most difficult orthopedic problems, have earned Apex Orthopedic Rehabilitation its excellent reputation with patients and medical professionals in northeastern New Jersey and beyond. A true “family man,” Tom takes pride in his clinic’s warm and welcoming environment.
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