Exercise and Mobility: Use It or Lose It

Let's start by putting a few things in perspective: Following the advice and faithfully doing the exercises on this site won't turn you into an Olympic athlete. What will happen over time is you're going to feel much, much better than you have in quite a while and that should make you feel like a winner.

Not convinced? All right, turn it around: What would happen if nothing in creation could convince you to move those painful, stiff joints again? (And who could blame you? Arthritis pain is as personal as a fingerprint.)

The answer is simple biology: Joint cartilage thrives on healthy activity. Think of cartilage as a kind of dense sponge bathed in fluid, absorbing food from - and expelling waste products into - the surrounding 'sea.' When you put a joint through its full range of motion, you create tidal currents that wash nutrients over the cartilage surface, and you subject the cartilage to mechanical pressure that squeezes out waste. If joint cartilage doesn't regularly filter-feed like this, it starves and crumbles away. When you go for a walk, play golf or, yes, do your exercise routine, your joints eat it up.

Something else to consider: Cartilage doesn't have any nerve fibres to transmit pain, but the muscles, tendons, ligaments and other assorted soft tissues that house the joint are loaded with them. If they don't get enough regular exercise, in no time at all you'll fall victim to 'disuse syndrome': Your muscles, tendons and ligaments will shrink, stiffen up and become progressively weaker. Then, when you do move, all the nerve fibres in the surrounding tissues will start complaining fast and furiously. That's why exercise is one of the pillars of managing pain.  In extreme cases, some types of inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis can eventually cause these soft tissues to calcify and become rigid.

Pain relief isn't the only reason to exercise; it's really the icing on the cake. Arthritis robs you of mobility and flexibility. Exercise is a perfect antidote, counteracting the creeping control that arthritis imposes on your life. Less stiffness, more flexibility, better sleep, weight control, greater strength and endurance, regular bowel habits and a healthier heart not to mention an uplifting sense of accomplishment: All are part of the payoff for making the effort.

And lest you have any lingering doubts about the benefits of exercise because of your age or the severity of your arthritis, cast them aside. Research shows that people with arthritis can perform not only gentle stretching and strengthening exercises, but also more robust endurance activities without any significant risk of harm. Age isn't a factor either; in fact, the older you are, the more you need to exercise and remain active. Bungee-jumping and para-sailing may not be such a good idea, but a walk in the country might be just what the doctor ordered.

If you're a smoker, then you have one more reason to start exercising, and you can take heart. A recent US study of moderate-to-heavy smokers who did a half-hour of exercise three times a week concluded that they reduced their risk of heart attack and stroke by as much as 60%, compared to smokers who did little or no exercise. That may not be as effective as butting out, but it's a start.

Again, the key is getting off to a proper start and then sticking with your exercise program. For a few tips on how to do just that, go to Basic Exercise Guidelines.

This page was last reviewed/updated on : 02/23/2008