Arthritis is described as an inflammation of a joint, usually accompanied by pain, swelling, and stiffness.
The direct cause of arthritis is hard to pin point because there are several factors that often contribute to an individual developing this form of joint pain. Although there are some factors you are able to control, there are others that you have no control over.
Age is one of the factors that we have no control over, as you age the cartilage becomes increasingly brittle and has less of a capacity to repair itself, this makes you more likely to develop arthritis.
A previous injury is also another factor than can contribute to the cause of arthritis, this is because joint damage can cause irregularities in the normal smooth joint surface, eventually leading to arthritis, suffering from a joint infection or having multiple episodes of gout can also lead to the development of arthritis.
Prevention is always better than cure and keeping your weight down is one way to help prevent arthritis from happening. The load that the joint has to support is partly responsible for any damage that may occur to the joint, especially in the areas such as the hips and knees. Studies have shown that simply walking across level ground puts up to one-and-a-half times your body weight on your knees and on un-level ground it is a lot worse. When walking up stairs for example each knee bears two to three times your body weight, and four to five times your body weight when you squat to tie a shoelace or pick something up from the floor.
Fortunately there is something you can do to help keep the weight off, and help with the pain; starting an exercise regime helps you to combat the effect that weight gain has on the body. Firstly, it helps keep the excess weight off which limits the chances of developing osteoarthritis, exercise also helps strengthen your thigh muscles which has been shown to help with load bearing of the knee.
As mentioned before exercising can help limit the chances of developing arthritis and it is also essential for those that already have arthritis. Exercise increases strength and flexibility, reduces joint pain, and helps combat fatigue.
I know it may be hard when stiff and painful joints are giving you trouble, you are automatically turned off the thought of participating in any form of physical activity due to the discomfort you may experience or the fear of aggravating your joint. But this is not the case, lack of exercise can make your joints even more stiff and painful, while moderate exercise can actually ease your discomfort. Keeping your muscles and surrounding tissue strong is crucial to maintaining support for your bones. Not exercising weakens those supporting muscles, creating more stress on your joints. When arthritis threatens to immobilize you, exercise keeps you moving.
Become the face of fitness you’ve always wanted and keep moving with exercise.