***This content comes from the Joint Pain Programme Journal by Nuffield Health. As a Rehab Specialist running this program, I’m excited to share these helpful insights with you all.
Exercise is a vital part of managing the symptoms associated with joint pain.
Due to pain, exercise is avoided by many people, as it leads to the belief that exercise can damage the joint. However, exercise actually helps to reduce pain through the following ways:
Improved muscle strength
Muscles can become weaker in the presence of pain due to inactivity. Strength training helps improve joint stability, reducing the symptoms of pain and swelling.
Weight loss
Obesity is the largest cause of osteoarthritis, with over 90% of obese people also reporting joint pain. Moving more will help to reduce weight, therefore reducing joint pain.
Overall physical and emotional well-being
Sometimes pain can make you feel low in mood and hope. Moving more helps reduce pain; it also contributes to improved mood, alertness, and can make you calmer.
Social interaction
Pain can be very isolating, and a person living with pain can feel like a burden on family and friends.
The joint pain program will provide you with the ability to interact with others in a similar position, acting like a support community, giving you more confidence in the gym and everyday life. Spending time sharing experiences brings people closer together.
The important types of exercise:
• Strength training • Stability • Cardiovascular • Mobility
Here are 3 areas that can be improved when working on managing your joint pain:
Emotional
Improved mood
Reduced anxiety
Less stress
Positive outlook
Improved perceptions of pain
Physiological
Joint stability
Improved flexibility
More energy
Stronger muscles
Improved immune system
Improved cardiac health
Reduced risk of diabetes
Social
Less isolation
Better productivity
Improved confidence
More independence
Open to new experiences
If exercise could be packaged in a pill, it would be the single most widely prescribed and beneficial medicine in the nation.
-- Robert Butler, National Institute on Aging
Your Space to Reflect
📍 Starting Point
- What benefits of exercise matter most to you personally?
- How has joint pain affected your relationship with exercise?
🤔 Looking Deeper
- When have you noticed exercise positively affecting your mood?
- What changes have you observed when you're more physically active?
💡 Exploring Possibilities
- Which types of exercise make you feel strongest and most capable?
- What social opportunities through exercise interest you most?
🔄 New Perspectives
- How might viewing exercise as 'medicine' change your approach to movement?
- What would making exercise a regular part of your life look like?
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