Joints are the areas where two or more bones meet, according to MedlinePlus, the United States National Library of Medicine.
In addition, many diseases can affect the joints, often causing pain and leading to stiffness, redness, and swelling. Additionally, most of them are chronic, that is, they last a long time.
These are some of the diseases that affect the joints:
- Lupus: This autoimmune disease affects many parts of the body and can cause joint and muscle pain. Some types of lupus often cause arthritis.
- Sjogren’s syndrome: This autoimmune pathology affects the glands that produce moisture in many parts of the body. The main symptoms are dry eyes and mouth, but it often also causes joint pain.
For this reason, if a person suffers from a joint condition, exercising is not always a good option, since there may be pain, but There are activities that don’t stress the joints, such as walking, bicycling, dancing, water aerobics, light gardening, and group exercise classes. according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Likewise, it added on its web portal that to obtain important health benefits, the person must perform at least:
- 150 minutes (2 ½ hours) of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, such as bicycling.
- 75 minutes (1 ¼ hours) of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, such as bicycling at a speed of 10 miles per hour or faster, each week.
However, another option is to do a combination of the two. As a general rule, one minute of vigorous physical activity is roughly equal to two minutes of moderate physical activity. Aerobic physical activity time can be divided into periods of 10 minutes or more throughout the day.
Another recommendation from the Centers is flexibility exercises, such as stretching and yoga, as these are also important for people with arthritis, as many people with arthritis have stiff joints that make daily activities difficult. That’s why doing flexibility exercises daily helps maintain range of motion so you can continue doing things like chores, hobbies, or visiting friends and family.
Similarly, another suggestion is balance exercises such as walking backwards, standing on one leg, and tai chi. It is recommended to do balance exercises three times a week if you are at risk of falling.
However, since you’re likely to feel pain during physical activity, the CDC has released some recommendations:
- Try to do a different type of exercise with which you stress the joints less; for example, doing water aerobics instead of walking.
- Do proper warm-up and cool-down exercises before and following exercising.
- Exercise at a pace that is comfortable. You should be able to hold a conversation while exercising.
- Make sure you wear comfortable shoes that fit well.
