Joint pain while exercising is not fun, and can be the reason why you give up or lessen your active lifestyle. The irony is when it comes to joint pain low-impact exercise and a carefully worked out exercise routine can help.
Avoiding exercise all together when you’re experiencing joint pain, unless specified by your doctor, shouldn’t be an option. “Your joints need exercise to stay healthy, and movement allows nutrients to be delivered to the cartilage found in the weight-bearing joints; which helps to keep your joints mobile,” says Odette Vass, brand manager for joint care brand OsteoEze.
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Exercise and joint pain
“Exercise has a positive, long term effect on your body, when done correctly. But when you overdo a workout, damage can occur. You need to find out for yourself what works and what doesn’t. Your body will thank you for the extra-care in the long run,” says Odette.
Cartilage degeneration, which can start happening in your 30s if you don’t exercise correctly, can occur between your joints if you overdo your workout. Cartilage is a fine rubbery tissue that acts as a cushion between the joints, and helps to support our weight when we run, bend and stretch. It can easily be damaged and cause inflammation, stiffness and reduce your range of movement.
The trick is to exercise in a way that doesn’t place more stress on your joints. “Making sure you exercise smartly, and for your fitness level, is important,” says Odette.
“If you ran a marathon a few years ago, but haven’t hit the road since, thinking you can simply get on the treadmill and pick up where you left off, will cause your body harm. Be smart, and ease into it. Give your body and most importantly your joints the opportunity to adjust.”
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Try these tips to alleviate joint pain while exercising
- Warm-up before exercising. The older we get, the stiffer our joints and muscles become. Exercising straight away will only cause more damage.
- When your muscles are overworked, your joints tend to take on more of the work. Try to vary your workout so that your whole body feels the effect of the exercise. Be sure to add in low-impact exercise such as swimming to your routine.
- Vary between upper and lower body exercises, to give certain joints the chance to have a break and recover before being worked again.
- Stretch out all your major muscle groups after exercising, otherwise tight, stiff muscles will put more pressure on your joints during the recovery process.
- Use a supplement formulated specifically for joint care while exercising to keep your joints healthy; this gives them the care they need from the inside as well. OsteoEze® Platinum with collagen is a complete joint care solution, which helps reduce joint pain associated with exercise and improves knee extension during exercise, as well as helps to reduce stiffness and pain in your joints.
Compiled by Editorial Director Frith Thomas
