by David Berg
Arthritis of the knee typically affects people over 50 years of age though it is not exclusive to this age group. This type of arthritis is more common in people who are overweight, and weight loss tends to reduce the symptoms associated with knee arthritis.
When you have arthritis pain and stiffness, finding the proper exercise can be somewhat difficult. Walking may be a good exercise choice for those with arthritis. It helps build strength, maintains joint flexibility, aids in bone health and reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
It may not make sense at first, but when arthritis makes your joints ache all over, a workout of sorts may be in order. Researchers at the hospital for Special Surgery in
Interestingly, after eight weeks, the walkers reported decidedly less pain and less reliance on pain medication. Also, they were able to walk further without pain in the experiments pretest.
There is also water walking which is usually done in waist - to chest -deep water. You can walk forward, backward, or sideways. You can use varying speeds and long or short steps. Since warm water relaxes the muscles and eases joint stiffness for people with arthritis, the pool should be well heated.
For any kind of water exercise, the Arthritis Foundation recommends a water temperature of 83ºF to 88ºF, comfortably warm, but not hot.