Ask the Expert: Arthritis Video Series
Effects of Exercise on Arthritis
Wondering about exercise when you have arthritis? Instincts may tell you to avoid exercise, but you may be surprised at the positive effects of exercise on arthritis as we answer the question: “Does exercise help or hurt my arthritis?” Listen to Summit Orthopedics’ experts share the insights they’ve gained in their years caring for those struggling with arthritis symptoms as they discuss the effects of exercise on arthritis. Featuring arthritis specialists Kristoffer Breien, MD and Peter Daly, M.D.
About Dr. Kris Breien
Dr. Breien’s approach: “I tend to be more conservative in my approach, reserving surgery as a last option. In essence, I strive to care for patients and their problems in the same manner my family and I expect to be treated when we seek medical attention.”
Dr. Breien’s education: Dr. Breien received his undergraduate degree at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. He went to Creighton University for medical school and his residency at Creighton-Nebraska University Health Foundation in Omaha, Nebraska.
When to seek treatment for your arthritis
Arthritis doesn’t have to spell the end of an active life. If you are experiencing worrisome symptoms or persistent pain, the renowned arthritis specialists at Summit Orthopedics can help. We work with you to confirm a diagnosis and develop an appropriate conservative treatment plan. If nonsurgical treatments fail to support your lifestyle goals, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeons will consult with you and discuss appropriate surgical options. Summit is home to innovative joint replacement options. Our Vadnais Heights Surgery Center is one of only two surgery centers nationally to receive The Joint Commission’s Advanced Certification for Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement.
Start your journey to healthier joints. Find your arthritis expert, request an appointment online, or call us at (651) 968–5201 to schedule a consultation.
Summit has convenient locations across the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, serving Minnesota and western Wisconsin. We have state-of-the-art centers for comprehensive orthopedic care in Eagan, MN, Plymouth, MN, Vadnais Heights, MN, and Woodbury, MN, as well as additional community clinics throughout the metro and southern Minnesota.
More articles on exercise and arthritis
- Fight The Effects Of Winter Weather On Arthritis
Cold temperatures can aggravate arthritic joints and tempt you to ride out winter in sedentary hibernation. Don’t do it! We explain why it is important to stay active, with tips to keep you moving no matter how frosty the weather gets. Read more…
Additional resources for you
- Discover Summit’s comprehensive arthritis care
- Exercise Goals For Osteoarthritic Joints
Video Transcription
Exercise and arthritis are very much something that go hand in hand. A lot of times arthritis can be due to effects of exercise. Long-distance runners, previous injuries from sports or athletics can all lead to arthritis. So that’s a piece of this whole puzzle as well, but essentially exercise is beneficial in arthritis. It’s one of actually the most successful treatments for arthritis when it comes to non-surgical treatments. And what that entails is muscle strength and mobility of the joint. So if you start losing those things, then the symptoms that go with arthritis, the pain, the instability, the difficulty with walking or other activities are amplified. So truly exercise in the right way can limit the symptoms that go with arthritis, can limit pain and can actually lead to better function, even in the setting of arthritis. Having locations like YMCAs that cater towards arthritis exercise and exercise in older individuals is actually extremely important to me. Because a lot of these things aren’t common knowledge, they’re not inherent, just, you know, things that everyone knows. And so having somebody that can help guide you through, whether it be an exercise class, or a trainer or a fitness instructor that can give you specific, you know, exercises that are helpful. Really, it’s an extremely important piece to have exercise as a part of your treatment and your activity level to just maintain your joints. So finding the right place to do that, and finding support groups, or people that are also going through it, or having someone who has that knowledge base is very important to making sure that you get the most out of your joint. – Our arthritis water exercise classes are amazing because most of the people in that class are seeking that class because they are dealing chronic arthritis in their bodies. People will say in class that they, without class they’ll wake up throughout the night. But when they are in class, they can sleep though the night or they notice that their daily life improves and so they make these class connections with other people who are dealing with these same issues that they face everyday in their life. And they have that, the support and the network, so it’s a very social group. It’s a really cool way to see people support each other as in a group exercise class that way. – When you are managing arthritis, there are exercises that can exacerbate or irritate arthritis and there are exercises that can be more beneficial. There’s not really any exercise outside of maybe being a very aggressive distance runner that’s actually going to progress arthritis quicker than otherwise. It’s a process that essentially happens on its own so regardless of what you’re doing to it, that process will slowly get worse. So the idea is to find exercises that don’t cause the irritation and the symptoms. The things that typically do that most, or irritate the knee most, are high impact activities which are running activities, jumping activities. All those things put a lot of stress especially on the knee joint itself. Typically avoiding those are beneficial things to avoid. Exercises that are helpful are essentially the exact opposite. They are low impact exercises. The best ones are cycling, so whether that be stationary bikes, recumbent bikes or general, you know, bike riding. Elliptical machines are very low impact and then the pool is another great option. So that can involve things like actual swimming laps, water aerobics, or as simple as just walking in the shallow end of a pool because it takes a lot of the stress off of that joint when you are in the water and you have that buoyancy.
