Arthritis can be irritating in the long run if it isn’t taken care of initially. Its treatment involves a combination of medicines and lifestyle changes that can help with the pain. Lifestyle changes include many aspects of your life, like you decide to eat clean or to give up on your sedentary lifestyle. Increasing your daily movement just a little could be a green flag for your health.
Here are some workouts that you can do to ease your arthritis.
A general word of caution is never to start any workout by skipping warm-ups that can injure your health and may worsen your current situation. And at any point during any exercise if you feel any kind of pain stop immediately.
Exercises for Knee Arthritis
Clamshell
Turn to one side.
Bend your hips and knee at a right angle, and keep your shoulders, hips, and feet aligned.
Hold your feet together.
Raise the top knee and, then, gently lower it.
Keep the stretch for 3-5 seconds before repeating on the opposite side.
Perform this 10-25 times a day, twice a day.
Quadriceps stretch
Stand straight, facing a wall.
Put your right forearm in front for support.
Bend the left knee and use your left hand to grip the ankle or shin.
Lift the knee gently until there is a little noticeable stretch.
Retain for a few seconds.
Repeat a few times on each side before switching sides.
Sit and stand
Sit straight in a chair with your feet flat on the floor.
Cross the arms over the chest.
Stand up straight, slowly.
Slowly sit back down.
Repeat this for 1 minute.
Hamstring Stretch
Lie flat on your back and stretch your legs.
Bend the right knee and place both hands on the back of the thigh.
Pull the leg toward the chest gently.
Arms should be relaxed so that the knee is straight up.
Straighten this leg as far as you can toward the sky, and hold for 10-20 seconds.
Bend and stretch the knee once more.
Reverse the process on the other side.
Exercises for Hip Arthritis
Butterfly Leg Stretch
Sit with your your feet together and knees bent.
Bend your upper body forward gently while holding your shins or ankles.
Press your knees down gently with your elbows.
Hold for approximately 20 to 30 seconds.
Bridges
Lie on your back on the floor.
Place your palms down near your hips with your knees bent and your feet on the floor.
Raise your hip as high as possible with a straight back.
For balance, use your hands.
Then lower yourself back to the floor.
Hip and lower back stretch
Lie flat on your back and your legs stretched open.
Push your chin toward your chest while your neck is on the floor.
Bend your knees and wrap your hands around them. Pull your knees as much as you can toward your shoulders.
Take a deep breath in and exhale by raising your knees higher.
Standing Leg Lift
Place yourself against a wall.
Raise one leg to one side without turning the toes; maintain the toes pointed forward or slightly in.
Avoid leaning to the motionless side.
Lower your leg.
Perform on each side 15-20 times.
Exercises for Ankle Arthritis
Toe Raise
Stand with your feet apart and your hands on the back of a chair for balance.
Lift your toes off the ground while maintaining your heels on the floor.
Hold this stance for 5 seconds before returning your toes to the ground.
2. Ankle Rotation
Sitting on a chair, place your injured ankle on your opposite knee.
Hold one hand slightly above the ankle joint and the ball of your foot with the other.
Gently spin your ankle clockwise for a few seconds, then counterclockwise for several seconds.
3. Ankle Dorsiflexion
Sit on a chair with one knee straightened.
Wrap the loop over the top of your afflicted ankle’s foot.
Flex your ankle gradually by moving your toes closer to your ankle while keeping your knee and leg straight.
Keep the position for some seconds before gently resuming your original position.
Resisted Ankle Eversion
Sit in a chair with your feet rested on the floor and one knee straightened.
Wrap the loop over the top of your afflicted ankle’s foot.
Flex your ankle gradually by moving your toes closer to your ankle while keeping your knee and leg straight.
Keep the position for some seconds before gently resuming your original position.
Place your afflicted foot through the resistance band’s loop and push your other foot against the resistance band. (The band should now form an L from your afflicted foot to the other foot, then back to your hands holding the loose ends.)
Press outward away from your other foot using the outside edge of the looped foot. While exercising, maintain your knee pointed to the ceiling by twisting at your ankle rather than your leg.