HEALTH
Living with arthritis and joint pain can make daily tasks difficult and may make incorporating exercise challenging with physical limitations. Yoga is a great practice that can help you to incorporate more exercise into your daily routine. Here are some of the many benefits of practicing yoga for arthritis and joint pain.
Yoga is a great way to reduce tension, exercise gently, and improve joint flexibility. This practice offers people with arthritis the ability to build muscle strength and improve balance. Yoga is also enjoyable enough to practice regularly.
Experiencing arthritis flare? If possible, continue to do some form of gentle yoga to help you maintain joint flexibility. Performing stretches will also help to improve your range of motion.
Here are a few poses you can try ease arthritic and joint pain:
Mountain Pose
This is a great beginning position. Stand with your big toes touching and your heels spread apart. Lift and spread your toes before placing them back on the mat. Try to hold this position longer as you gain strength and balance.
Sun Salutations
This yoga move will easily stretch nearly every muscle in the body. Sun salutations are very meditative and calming since they connect movement with your breath. This pose involves stretching your arms above your head and also bending over into a deep calf stretch.
Yoga poses may need to be modified for people that have arthritis. For example, downward facing dog involves raising your body with your arms. To modify this, people with arthritis may want to use a block, strap, or chair to maintain poses.
Prior to starting yoga, make sure to consult with an orthopedic surgeon to ensure the practice is right for you. In addition, discuss what modifications you may need to make that may be appropriate for your condition. For more information on, contact Blackstone Orthopedics today.
