Along with taking the right medicine and properly resting your joints, exercise is a good way to stay fit, keep muscles strong, and control arthritis symptoms. Daily exercise, such as walking or swimming, can help keep joints moving, reduce pain, and strengthen the muscles around your joints.
There are several types of exercise that are often recommended to patients with arthritis, including range-of-motion exercises that can help to relieve stiffness and keep you flexible.
Strengthening exercises, such as weight training, can improve muscle strength, helping to support your joints. Aerobic or endurance exercises can help improve circulation, prevent weight gain, and improve the overall function of your body. Aerobic exercise also may reduce swelling in some joints.
Joint mobilizations are another type of exercise. Arthritis can often be caused by joints that no longer move properly. A physical therapist can improve the mobility of affected joints, thus decreasing pain. Combined with appropriate exercises, joint mobilizations are very effective in improving pain and function associated with arthritis.