Aches and pains? Joints playing you up?

Exercise is crucial for people with arthritis. It increases strength and flexibility, reduces joint pain, and helps combat fatigue. Of course, when stiff and painful joints are nagging you and the thought of going for a walk or gentle swim seems overwhelming. But arthritis-friendly physical activity will help to improve the  pain and function, lighten your mood improve and quality of life without making symptoms worse. 

It is important know know your personal limitations, how far you can go and how far you can push yourself. It is very important to keep your joints moving, you will need to find the right balance between rest and exercise – too much activity may increase your pain but too little can make your joints stiffen up. Little and often is usually the best approach but it is important to remember that if you have rheumatoid arthritis and are experiencing an arthritis flare-up, you should take a break for a day or two while you focus on reducing pain and inflammation.

You should find an activity that is moderate or vigorous intensity but does not twist or "pound" your joints too much. Some people with arthritis can do vigorous activities such as running and manage some activities that are harder on the joints like basketball or tennis. What ever you choose you have to enjoy it and it has to be right for you.  

It is important to remember that everyone is different and we all like different things and everyones arthritis is personal to them, one persons pain is not the same as someone else's but EXTEND and Medau might be what you are looking for!