Battling Arthritis? Make This Move NOW for a Better Future
Pain has a way of keeping you in the present.
It’s easy to become hyperfocused on what’s wrong—which, ironically, can WORSEN the pain.
If you’re dealing with arthritis pain, I encourage you to take steps that could help improve your FUTURE—not just your present.
That means not just focusing on immediate pain relief… but on ways to improve long-term function.
Today, I’ll tell you about a study showing a simple way to improve your future if you’re dealing with arthritis in the present.
This study included people with knee or hip osteoarthritis who engaged in some physical activity.
The participants underwent four evaluations, including a face-to-face interview, a structured examination by a rheumatologist, and phone interviews.
They were questioned about the following:
- mobility
- self-care
- usual activities
- pain or discomfort
- anxiety or depression
The researchers found that folks who engaged in frequent or very frequent activity had improved physical function and improved health-related quality of life over time (compared with non-frequent exercise).
This is HUGE because losing mobility (the ability to move and walk freely) is one of the worst consequences of aging. It can keep you from doing the things you love and prevent you from keeping up with your daily tasks.
Even worse, when you lose mobility, you become LESS likely to remain living at home and MORE likely to develop diseases, be hospitalized, and suffer premature death.
The researchers concluded that, if you have arthritis, regular physical activity should be implemented as EARLY as possible. Because exercising NOW could prevent the arthritis from worsening.
That’s an impressive outcome for a drug-free, risk-free solution that anyone can do.
You can start with a brisk daily walk and an active hobby you enjoy, like swimming, dancing, or pickleball.
And with the many other proven health benefits of exercise, you don’t need to have arthritis to start making it part of your daily routine.
I know I do.
P.S. Recently, researchers set out to determine the optimal dose of exercise to reduce arthritis pain in the knee. If you’re battling arthritis pain, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results. CLICK HERE for the details.
SOURCE:
“Association of physical activity with physical function and quality of life in people with hip and knee osteoarthritis: longitudinal analysis of a population-based cohort.” Arthritis Res Ther 25, 14 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13075-023-02996-x
