If you have spinal arthritis, chances are your doctor has encouraged you to exercise regularly. A reader emailed me recently asking for my best tips on exercising to manage the pain and other symptoms associated with this condition. Here they are:
1. Do Range of Motion Several Times Each Day
Basic exercise science teaches that there are 4 components of fitness: Flexibility, strength, aerobic conditioning and body composition (body composition refers to how much of you is fat and how much of you is lean tissue). When it comes to spinal arthritis, all 4 components are crucial for your health, of course, but range of motion - which corresponds to flexibility - is the most important. Range of motion may help slow the progression of the arthritis over time, and it can help you keep your pain levels under control. Try a basic program now:2. Move Through The Pain and Stiffness Felt At The End Range
Arthritis is a condition in which the joint becomes stiff and/or limited. One way to address this is by gently moving past the restriction at the "end range". The end range simply means how far you are able to move in one direction before pain or something else just doesn't let you go any further. So when you do your neck or low back range of motion exercises, you might try going to the end range, and then a bit further. It's as though you're moving through the pain. This should be done slowly to avoid an injury.3. Try Avoiding Gravity
I anticipated a "yeah, right" response from you as I titled this section. But there really are a few ways to engage with exercise that take a load off your spine and other joints. The beauty of this is that it frees you to build critical muscle support and flexibility in places you normally wouldn't.So what forms of exercise am I talking about? Water exercise, for one. The buoyancy of the water removes the impact of gravity and the density of water provides resistance that will help develop muscle strength.
Pilates and yoga are two systems that work on "anti-gravity" muscles, those trunk muscles responsible for holding you upright. Pilates and yoga not only strengthen these muscles, they also increase their flexibility and coordination.
4. Strengthen Your Joints to Help Reduce Pain
If you have arthritis, muscle strength is almost as important as developing range of motion at the joints."Arthritis can be a vicious cycle of immobility, joint changes, pain and more immobility," says Hagit Rajter, M.S.P.T., physical therapist, Joint Mobility Center, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York City. One thing that contributes to this cycle are weak spinal muscles. When your muscles lack basic strength, they cannot provide support to your spine. Without support, the spine tends to compress, which may cause pain. Isometric exercise, although fairly simple, is usually what's recommended to strengthen the muscles around an arthritic spine.
