Aerobics and Dancing for Arthritis Pain Relief

Ah—dancing. Little did I think over 30 years ago, as I waltzed around the dance floor with some pretty maiden, that I would be writing about it today in an article dealing with pain relief. In that earlier life of mine, my knees buckled at the sight of some lovely feminine legs, but nowadays they crumple for a completely different reason.

For those of you who loved dancing before developing arthritis, it can still be a great pastime, and helpful in the quest for pain relief. It’s fun, it enables you to carry out useful movements, improving your physical condition. It also helps your stance, breathing, and overall general fitness. It’s also a great social outlet, and, dare I say it, makes you feel younger again, and good to be alive.

If you attend a structured dancing course, you’ll probably find that it combines range of motion movements and strengthening exercises in the prescribed steps. Some keen dancers find that they incorporate some of their dance movements in their other daily activities. I kid you not! They find that their motions have become more fluid and flexible, and that their walking is not as stiff as previously.

Of course, before you even think of tripping the light fantastic, there’s a couple of things that you should be aware of. If you’re carrying more plastic around with you than the cards in your pocket, such as a hip or knee replacement, check with your doctor that the moves in your dance routine will not be harmful. Even if you sometimes accumulate fluid in them, the doctor will be more than likely to advise you on safe ways to negotiate the dance floor.

You should also make sure that you wear comfortable clothing and shoes, especially the latter. They should be supportive, and can be of any variety, but low heeled ones are probably the best. You wouldn’t want to go there in your stiletto heels, only to stumble and break your arm or leg, whilst doing something that’s supposed to be helping you beat arthritis. Trainers can easily stick, thus cramping your style, and can result in less ease of movement.

If you are attending an informal dance, say in a club or at a party, you will need to be more careful—your partner might not know, or even forget, in the case of someone you already know, that you suffer from arthritis. This kind of situation is not likely to arise when you are in a class or taking lessons. However, you should always have a chat with with your instructor before starting, in order to explain to him about your condition, and any problems that you think may arise.

Pain Reel-ief indeed!

 

Swimming as an Aerobics Exercise for Arthritis

Swimming is an excellent aerobic activity for just about anyone, as it can strengthen your muscles, as well as giving your heart a good workout. Because of water’s buoyancy, swimming is vitually a non-impact aerobic exercise. You can move more freely in the water, which makes it very suitable for folk with arthritis, as the water supports the weight of your body, thus putting less strain on those all important joints. There’s less jarring, which effectively results in less pain. It’s also an ideal activity in that it makes both the legs and the arms work hard.

 

For those who cannot swim, there are courses nowadays to be found in most places. You do not to feel intimidated, as most of the others there will probably be taking the plunge for the first time as well. For those who aren’t too keen on learning the sport, there’s a lot more that you can do in the water other than swimming. You can just splash about in the shallow end, or try out some other exercises there. Just being in the water can get you relaxed, and give you some pain relief.

Did you know that even some jogging in waist deep water can be a safe exercise for people with arthritis? I can assure you that it’s not as odd as it sounds. It’s just about impossible to pick up an injury while engaged in it. The deeper that you immerse yourself in the water, the less you strain your joints as you walk or jog. You can try those activities first of all in water at waist level, then in the water up to your shoulders. You can also try running in thedeeper water! Your feet will not touch the bottom of the pool, but you will be using your arms and legs to help propel yourself forward. It’s a well known fact that many athletes run in water to maintain their fitness whilst they recover from injuries.

Before any activity in the water, you should remember to warm up by doing a few range of motion exercises at the side of the pool. There are various types of swimming styles, of course, including the back stroke, breast stroke, and freestyle, or front crawl as it’s often called. The breast stroke might prove to be unsuitable if your hips or knees are suffering from arthritis, as it puts extra strain on those joints. You should experiment with different strokes until you find the one that you are most comfortable with.

Hydro therapy courses are excellent, and are usually carried out under under the supervision of a physiotherapist. The pool is heated to a high temperature, which helps to relax the muscles, and allows the joints easier movement. If you do exercises in a pool other than a hydrotherapy one, make sure that the water is warm enough. Run a check beforehand as well to find out if you can get in and out of the pool easily, as some of them only have ladder steps, which are difficult to use for many arthritis sufferers. 

Walking as an Aerobics Exercise for Arthritis

The word “aerobics” simply means "using oxygen". When you do an aerobic exercise, like walking, basketball, running, or aerobics, you are breathing. The oxygen passes through your body, as opposed to using up the bodily storage like you do during sprinting, or bench pressing.

“Aerobic” just means exercise that raises your heart rate. But when people hear the word aerobic they often think of very fit people hopping about to loud music in a gym. It is actually a form of exercise that comprises rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all the elements of fitness (flexibility, muscular strength, and cardiovascular fitness).

Aerobic exercise helps build stamina, control and reduce weight, improves sleep, strengthens bones (thus protecting against osteoporosis), and reduces depression. The moderate exertion used when exercising should bring about slight breathlessness and an increase in the pulse. Feeling more than that may mean you are doing too much.

I am personally a great advocate of walking, perhaps because it’s the exercise that I feel most comfortable with. As I might have mentioned in another article, I carry a walking stick as a sort of insurance against falling heavily if one of my knees gives way. It is certainly the easiest way to exercise, and it’s something that a lot of folk do sometime during the day anyway, such as going shopping, visiting, walking the dog etc. The benefits include improving the muscles around the knees and hips, and strengthening the heart and lungs. Of course, it can be carried out by people of all ages, and by those of different fitness levels. Studies have consistently shown that walkers acquire the same cardiovascular benefits as runners, and with fewer injuries into the bargain. It has also been shown that it significantly decreases arthritis pain.

As well as those routine, leisurely walks mentioned above, you should also begin to take longer ones, preferably at a brisker pace. You could begin with 10 minute ones, gradually increasing that to about 30 minutes. This should be carried out 3 or 4 times a week, maybe more, if you feel up to it after a while. Wear comfortable, non-slip shoes, such as trainers, and remember if you use a stick, like I do, to have it in the opposite hand to the painful knee, hip, or foot.

Everyone has their own preference when it comes to what kind of surface they walk on. I prefer something hard, such as a pavement, beneath me, while others will no doubt opt for the grass, as they reckon that it reduces the impact on their joints. Whatever you choose, you have to remember that your main aim is to keep the body on the move, and bearing its own weight.

I used to have a portable music player with me at first, but as I’m fortunate enough to live in a place of scenic beauty, I’ve discarded it, and feel that I’m discovering something new each day—things that I’d never bothered to notice before. Of course, most of us take walking for granted, as it’s been there since our childhood. Once you realize how easy a routine it is, even in older age, and the benefits that it can give, you’ll be hooked!