slowly weaken. At the same time, the tendons that attach the muscle to the bone will become less elastic. To a person with arthritis, it all adds up to more pain and stiffness.
Regular exercise can reverse this downward slide. The muscles become stronger, the tendons become more limber, and as a result pain and stiffness may start to fade. Most people begin to notice improvements within two months, although some feel better almost immediately.
For patients with osteoarthritis, there’s another important benefit of exercise. Regular activity provides the lifeblood to the cartilage that cushions joints. Unlike most tissues in the body, cartilage doesn’t receive nutrients from the bloodstream. Instead, it gets its nourishment from a fluid (called synovial fluid) in the joints. When a joint moves, the fluid sloshes around, giving the cartilage a healthy dose of oxygen and other vital substances. As an added bonus, regular exercise encourages the body to produce extra synovial fluid.
Strong muscles, flexible tendons, and healthy cartilage. These are the things that make everyday life possible. “Everybody needs exercise,” says Barbara Resnick, Ph.D., a nurse practitioner at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. And when she says everybody, she means it. She has seen frail patients in their hundreds gain a new lease on life after taking up exercise.
The Big Four
Resnick outlines four basic types of exercise that can help patients with arthritis: Stretching, range-of-motion exercises (slowly moving the joints through their full range), strength training, and aerobics. Anyone with arthritis should incorporate