Increasing Activity Can Decrease Pain

With 70 million Americans suffering from arthritis pain, we all know someone.  The pain can seem unbearable and often makes daily life activities more difficult.  When arthritis pain prevents a person from participating in things they usually would have done such as family events, going to visit friends, or even household activities such as gardening, a form of pain management is necessary.  There are different types of pain management including medication and also exercise.

Many people don’t think of exercise as being a pain management technique because movement can cause pain.  Recent studies, however, show that moderate physical activity can help individuals with arthritis in multiple ways. The key to an activity being beneficial for arthritis patients is to make sure it is a low-impact activity such as walking, swimming, or riding a bicycle.  The decreased pain can be due to the increased joint flexibility as well as muscle strength that comes with walking.  The benefits of walking are not limited to arthritis patients.

We all know exercise is an essential part of living a healthy lifestyle.  Exercise has many benefits for a person including those related to both physical and emotional health.  Some of the physical benefits can include maintaining a normal sleep pattern, controlling weight, and combating fatigue.  The emotional health benefits are often overlooked, but are equally important.  These benefits include lifting a person’s spirits and combating depression.  Because walking is an endurance activity it can increase heart strength and improve the health of your lungs as well. Also, because walking is a weight-bearing exercise it helps to keep bones strong which in turn decreases the risk of developing osteoporosis. The benefits are tremendous for such an attainable workout.

One of the major problems people have with exercising is sticking to a routine.  A great way to avoid this is to have an exercise buddy or a group that holds you accountable.  It is much easier to keep up a fitness routine when someone is expecting you to be there.  The support offered by someone in a similar situation is often just the motivation needed to keep a person involved.

The Regional Arthritis Foundation is providing a program called Walk With Ease.  This is a free program available to anyone.  People from all backgrounds, ages, arthritis or no arthritis are welcome to take advantage of the program.  Walk With Ease is designed to provide a safe and encouraging workout environment.  The program is a group walking exercise and meets three times a week for six weeks.

Participants may sign up to be in a group or may sign up as a group.  Groups vary in size but are preferably between 10-12 people.  Participants are in a supportive situation with a trained leader.  The program also provides the participant with a workbook that they will work through during the six-week session.  In the workbook, there is a goal setting section in which the participant will decide what they hope to achieve from the program.  There are also at home strength building exercises to help the participant gain as much as possible from the program.

     

 As was mentioned before, this program is not solely for individuals with arthritis but instead for anyone wanting to increase their daily activity in a safe way.  For more information about the Walk With Ease program or to sign up, contact Doris Fountain at the Regional Arthritis Foundation office.  Sign up today with a friend or a group of friends!