Stretch Away the Arthritis Pain
The surrounding muscles of the tight and aching joints of your body are often more tense than you may realize at first. Over time, you can become accustomed to having your muscles clenched up, so much so your body’s stiffness becomes something you expect, something that you don’t worry too much about.
But when you are having arthritis pain, that tightness and that stiffness is that last thing you need to have present. You need to loosen things up a bit by taking the time to stretch.
Stretching is something anyone can do anywhere, anytime, and the more you do it, the more benefits you will feel.
Stretching will:
Improve your flexibility
Improve your balanced
Soothe stiffness and tightness
Help to prevent pain from arthritis
Our bodies were designed to move and to move easily, but when we’re sitting down a lot of the time, the muscles clench up from a lack of use. In addition to exercise, stretching needs to become a part of your daily routine.
Stretching also doesn’t have to be a lengthy chore in order to give you the results you need. You can spend just a few minutes a day stretching in order to keep your joints and ligaments limber and supple.
Here are some of the easiest stretches you can do:
Wrist stretches
You can be sitting or standing for this stretch. Take one hand and put it out in front of your body as though you are making a ‘Stop’ sort of gesture. Take the other hand and gently pull back on the fingers of the outstretched hand to feel a pull in the underside of the arm and wrist. Switch sides.
Shoulder circles
To help loosen up your shoulders and neck, put your arms to the side and slowly move your shoulders (not using your arms) around in small circle patterns. Do this a few times and then reverse the direction of the circles.
Backs of the arms
Take one arm and pull it across your body so that the wrist touches the opposite shoulder. Gently push the elbow of the arm that’s across the body to feel a stretch in that back of that arm. Switch sides.
Chest stretches
Take your arms and reach behind yourself to try to hold your hands at the small of your back. With the hands locked and fingers interlaced, slowly lift up your arms to feel your shoulders and chest stretch. Do not try to lift too high, just enough to feel the stretch. Then lower your arms back down slowly.
Abdominal stretches
Lie on your stomach, if possible, and place your arms to your sides, palms on the floor by your ears. Slowly push yourself up through your palms until you begin to feel your abs stretch, slowly lower down. Repeat a few times, controlling your movements by making them as slow as possible.
Waist stretch
Standing up, turn your waist from side to side in order to stretch out the sides of your abdomen. Do this slowly and try to prevent your hips from moving at the same time in order to isolate the waist.
Hip stretch
Sit on the floor, with your legs out in front of you. Take one leg, bend it and place the foot on the opposite side of the other leg’s knee. Turn your body to the side of the bent leg so that the opposite elbow is on the opposite knee. Slowly turn back and switch legs.
Hamstring stretch
Standing next to a wall or holding onto a sturdy chair, try to take one leg’s foot and pull it to the back of the same leg. Hold it in place, then release and switch legs.
Calf stretch
Stand and face a wall, keeping your legs about 2 feet from the wall itself. Place your hands on the wall and slowly lean in, keeping your legs straight. Slowly push yourself back and repeat.
Ankle rolls
Sitting, slowly roll your ankles to stretch them out, switching directions every now and then.
These stretches do not need to be done all at once, nor do they have to be done each and every day. Stretching, however, is more effective when it is done on a regular basis.
If you’re finding these stretches painful, you might want to stand in a hot shower for a few minutes or walk for 5 minutes before starting them. This way, you can give your muscles a chance to warm up and relax before you stretch them out.
As with any exercise program, make sure to check with your doctor before trying these movements out. If you have any history of injuries, you might need to get a different stretching program from your doctor or physical therapist.
Some people find they like to stretch intuitively, simply moving their bodies from one position to the next, pulling on their muscles until they feel them release. This can work well too.
Here are the basic ground rules of stretching:
Always stretch when you’re warmed up
Never bounce your stretches, just lean into them and slowly release
Try to work up to 30 seconds per stretch at a time
Try to work up to at least 2 repetitions per side of the body
Try to stretch at least every other day for the maximum benefits
If a stretch ever hurts or you hear a snapping sound, call your doctor immediately. While it’s difficult to hurt yourself when stretching gently, some people have had troubles overextending their stretches and have injured themselves in the process.
When it’s been a long time since you’re last stretching experience, it can be helpful to take a guided class at your local community center or fitness club.
About This Post