Physical Activity Can Ease Arthritis Pain!
How many people with foot or ankle arthritis want to walk, climb stairs, or exercise if it only worsens their foot pain? Well, common sense would tell us the answer is not many – and the statistics concur. According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly a third of all adults with arthritis don’t engage in physical activity.
They’re missing out – because physical activity can improve the symptoms of arthritis.
How exercise helps
There’s a lot of science-backed evidence that moving what hurts can make you hurt less. Here’s why:
- Exercise increases your flexibility and range of motion. You’re less stiff, making everyday activities easier to execute.
- It strengthens the muscles around the arthritic joints, making them more stable.
- Exercise improves your overall health, which can provide extra incentive to move even more. Furthermore, it can help you lose any extra weight that’s putting stress on your joints.
Find an activity you enjoy
People with foot or ankle arthritis can choose low-impact exercises such as stretching, yoga, tai-chi, walking, and aqua aerobics. Contact a Fairfax County YMCA or recreation center for a schedule of classes. Or, take a walk around your neighborhood. Do something you enjoy so that you’ll stick with it.
Other ways to relieve arthritis pain
It’s hard to get moving when it hurts to move. We get that.
At Clifton Foot & Ankle Center, a multi-faceted approach to a medical challenge often works best. So, in addition to flexibility and strengthening exercises, we may recommend some of the following treatments to our patients with foot or ankle arthritis:
- medications to reduce inflammation
- physical therapy
- night braces
- steroid injections
- surgery, including total ankle replacement.
For exercise recommendations and other treatments for foot and ankle arthritis, contact our Centreville office for an appointment with board-certified podiatrist Dr. Kenneth R. Wilhelm. Call (703) 996-3000 or contact us online.
