All your bones are joined together by joints. Everywhere your bones meet there is cartilage; which is a rubbery, protective layer that helps your joints move smoothly and painlessly. When your cartilage wears out, the thin membrane called the synovium, which provides fluid to lubricate the moving parts of your joints, becomes inflamed. This can cause rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis develops slowly over the years and is a result of the wear and tear placed on your joints. People over the age of 50 will most likely have at least one of their joints affected by osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis starts out with red, stiff, swollen and painful joints. It can actually cause scar tissue to develop in the joints or in extreme cases, cause your bones to fuse together.
Below are some tips to help you prevent against developing arthritis or to help ease the pain:
Walking is one of the best exercises you can do. It is a low impact exercise that gives you the maximum results. Try starting off with walking 10 to 15 minutes a day, then gradually work up to 30 minutes a day.
Stretching your muscles can be achieved by learning yoga. Try starting slow by doing each stretch for 15 to 20 seconds. Make sure to find the best yoga stretches that focus on your trouble spots.
If you are overweight, then losing weight can help by taking some of the pressure off your joints. The best way to lose weight is to cut back on your calorie intake a little each day. You do not need to make a drastic change in your diet, simply eat smaller portions and add an exercise routine to your day to help drop a few pounds, then you will notice a decrease in the pain from your arthritis in little or no time.
Be sure to check with your doctor before starting any kind of exercise program to make sure that it will not do you more harm than good for your arthritis. Your doctor should be able to tell you which exercises and stretches are the best ones for your arthritic symptoms.
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People say that losing weight is no walk in the park. When
I hear that I think, yeah, that’s the problem.
~ Chris Adams
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