Exercise Your Way to Less Arthritis Pain

From wth.org

Arthritis affects millions worldwide and is a leading cause of chronic pain and disability. While medications, injections, and surgery can be a part of managing symptoms, sometimes you can avoid all those with a less medical approach. Regular exercise is one of the most effective, low-risk strategies to reduce arthritis pain, improve function, and enhance quality of life. 

It is estimated that in the United States alone, 58.5 million people aged 18 years and older have arthritis.  It is a leading cause of disability, with 25.7 million adults reporting activity limitations. Projections suggest that by 2040, an estimated 34.6 million adults with arthritis will report arthritis related activity limitations, which is due to the growth of an aging population. Osteoarthritis is the most common form, affecting over 32 million adults. Arthritis is a major driver of medical costs and loss of productivity.

Mark Cutright, MD

“Exercise helps reduce arthritis pain and inflammation in several ways,” said Mark Cutright, MD, an orthopaedist with West Tennessee Medical Group’s Innovative Orthopaedics. “Regular movement stimulates blood flow, which delivers nutrients and removes inflammatory by-products. Exercise also triggers the release of endorphins, which are the body’s natural painkillers and can lower the levels of inflammatory chemicals over time.”

Regular exercise strengthens muscles. Strong muscles act as shock absorbers and stabilize joints, reducing stress on cartilage and connective tissue. This is especially important for weight-bearing joints like knees and hips. Exercise increases joint range of motion and flexibility. Gentle stretching and full-range movements prevent stiffness, maintain mobility, and make daily activities easier. It can also improve balance and coordination, which can reduce the risk of falls. Exercise can help you maintain a healthy weight, which reduces the load on joints, which can directly lower pain and slow the progression of the disease. 

Numerous studies and clinical guidelines support exercise for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. For knee and hip osteoarthritis, there is evidence that shows exercise reduces pain and improves function.

“A balanced exercise program that can be beneficial for arthritis pain should include aerobic, strength, flexibility, and balance training. As each component contributes differently to pain reduction and joint health,” said Dr. Cutright. “Low-impact exercise is essential for reducing arthritis pain, as it strengthens muscles, improves joint flexibility, and lowers stiffness. Consistent movement reduces stiffness, while strength training protects joints.” 

The top exercises for arthritis include walking, water aerobics, swimming, yoga, and tai chi.

Aerobic exercise improves cardiovascular fitness, helps with weight control, and reduces systemic inflammation. Low-impact walking on smooth surfaces, cycling, or using an elliptical reduces pressure on joints. Other options include swimming, water aerobics, and low-impact dance classes.

Strength training builds muscle around affected joints, improves joint stability, and supports daily activities. It has also been shown to decrease pain and increase strength and mobility. 

Examples of this type of exercise include resistance bands, bodyweight exercises, free weights, weight machines, and Pilates-style controlled resistance.

Flexibility and range-of-motion exercises maintain or increase joint mobility and reduce stiffness. These include gentle stretching, modified yoga, tai chi, joint-specific range-of-motion activities, and improve range of motion, balance, and reduce stress. Balance exercises such as standing on one leg with support, heel-to-toe walking, tai chi, and stability ball routines decrease fall risk and improve functional stability. Mind–body practices like tai chi and yoga also provide moderate benefits for pain, function, and psychological well-being.

Exercise is a cornerstone of arthritis management. Regular, well-chosen movement reduces pain, strengthens muscles, maintains flexibility, and improves overall function and mood. A successful program combines aerobic activity, strength training, flexibility, and balance work that is tailored to your condition, abilities, and preferences. Start gently, progress gradually, listen to your body, and seek professional guidance when needed. With consistency and the right approach, you can significantly reduce arthritis pain, allowing you to enjoy more comfortable, active days.

https://www.wth.org/blog/exercise-your-way-to-less-arthritis-pain/ 

Hand and wrist arthritis: You have great options for relief

From novanthealth.org 

Charleston orthopaedic surgeon discusses treating the most common form of arthritis

Whether we type for a living or deliver heavy boxes all day, our hands and wrists can take a beating.

More than 50 million people in the U.S. have arthritis, a condition that damages the joints. Its most common form, osteoarthritis, is a chronic and degenerative disease that affects sensitive cartilage where bones connect to form a joint (think the wrist and knuckles).

Dr. Eric Angermeier

“It's a disease that does not discriminate much and affects a broad swath of people,” said orthopaedic hand and wrist surgeon Dr. Eric Angermeier, co-founder of the Hand Institute of Charleston - Mount Pleasant. To make an appointment, click here.

Angermeier explains how we come to suffer from arthritis and the treatment options that can bring pain relief.

What is arthritis?

The fundamental common element in all types of arthritis is that the cartilage breaks down. And as that cartilage thins and eventually goes away, what you have are two raw bone ends bumping into each other. That often means a lot of pain.

And, as Angermeier explains, a lot of hand and wrist arthritis is determined by genetics rather than wear and tear. Some people just have joints that wear out faster than others. That said, symptomatic arthritis peaks in our 60s or 70s because people are still active and using their hands a lot and aggravating their arthritis.

And while there is no cure for arthritis, advancing technology is helping surgeons rebuild joints to reduce pain and improve function while also promoting a faster recovery.

Are there certain professions that are more difficult for those affected by arthritis?

It really comes down to genetics in a lot of cases. If you have a direct injury to the cartilage of your joints, that can hasten the wear-and-tear of the cartilage. So, if you're in an occupation like construction, you’re more likely to have injuries to the cartilage that may accumulate over time.

But the flipside of that is you may have been one of these folks who was going to get arthritis anyway. If you’re a heavy manual labourer and happen to have arthritis, you're going to hurt a lot more because you're using your hands for heavier activities.

So it's a chicken-or-the-egg kind of situation. We used to think that heavy manual activities may have caused arthritis, but now we think that people with bad arthritis are probably going to get arthritis anyway, and it's the heavy manual activity that's aggravating it.

There are some outliers. If you’ve run ultra-marathons for many years, you're more likely than the average person to have arthritis and wear out your cartilage over time. But a lot of hand and wrist arthritis is determined by genetics and normal use. This is everyone from folks who enjoy gardening and crocheting all the way up to people working construction.

How can we prevent arthritis?

As we age and our cartilage wears out, the joints tend to get stiffer. One thing you can do to counteract the effect of osteoarthritis is to develop a daily regimen of finger stretching and wrist stretching that will help to maintain your range of motion. Even though the arthritis continues to progress, you'll be more functional.

But as yet, we don't have any known treatments, supplements, stretches, braces or other technologies that slow the progression of arthritis or prevent it. We truly don't have any tools to prevent osteoarthritis. Fortunately, we have many opportunities to treat it or help modify the symptoms of arthritis.

Two of the most common supplements are chondroitin and glucosamine (both found naturally in cartilage). You see both of these advertised a lot for people with arthritis, but there is no quality research that indicates that any supplement, those included, slows or prevents the development of osteoarthritis.

Although chondroitin and glucosamine do not prevent arthritis, there is some limited evidence that they can reduce arthritic pain in some patients and are generally felt to be safe. I just wouldn’t recommend spending a lot on supplements that don’t seem to be helping.

Who is a candidate for hand surgery, and how invasive is it?

You should always pursue non-operative treatment first. Usually, we'll try a steroid injection or two to see if we can get symptoms under control. But when that fails to yield adequate relief of pain and stiffness, the most commonly performed surgery for arthritis in the hand and wrist is a carpometacarpal [CMC] joint arthroplasty. It's essentially a reconstruction of the joint at the base of the thumb.

We've developed a minor outpatient procedure that is done through a single small incision, and we replace the bone-on-bone contact at the arthritic joint with an internal sling made from a tendon. The base of the thumb sits in a hammock-type structure that helps to prevent it from rubbing the arthritic bones.

This can significantly alleviate pain and improve strength and function. It’s one of the most satisfying procedures that we have to offer as hand surgeons because it can restore a tremendous amount of hand function.

The thumb represents about 50% of the overall function of the hand, so if you can get the thumb functioning pain-free and with more strength, that can change the quality of life for the patient.

What are the risks of surgery?

There's a very low risk of complications with this procedure and a very high rate of positive outcomes.

These procedures have become more and more minimally invasive, involving just a single incision at the base of the thumb, which helps speed recovery, causes less pain and lessens the risk of infection.

When should somebody make an appointment with an orthopaedic surgeon?

If there's anything bothering your hand or your wrist, I'd strongly encourage you to see a hand surgeon. I think the threshold should be pretty low to get things checked out. Hand and wrist arthritis is highly treatable and often with good results. And there are many different options available depending on where the arthritis is, the age of the patient and how active they are.

https://www.novanthealth.org/healthy-headlines/hand-and-wrist-arthritis-you-have-great-options-for-relief

I Have Ankle Arthritis – Now What?

From globenewswire.com/news-release

AOFAS offers guidance in honour of National Arthritis Awareness Month

Rosemont, Ill., May 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- May is National Arthritis Awareness Month, a time to bring attention to a disease that affects one in four adults in the United States. Arthritis can occur in any joint in the body, including the ankle, when the cartilage breaks down. Foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeons explain the signs of ankle arthritis and ways to relieve your pain.

How do I know if I have ankle arthritis?

“Patients with ankle arthritis typically experience pain at their ankle joint, particularly with activity,” said foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeon, Jeremy J. McCormick, MD, from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “This pain may be associated with symptoms such as swelling, stiffness, or a sense of instability.”

If you are experiencing ongoing pain and stiffness in your ankle and having difficulty with walking or other activities, make an appointment with a foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeon. They will review your medical history, perform a physical exam, and take X-rays to determine the type and severity of your ankle arthritis.

What can I do to relieve ankle arthritis pain?

Based on their diagnosis of your ankle arthritis, your surgeon will recommend a treatment plan. Bruce J. Sangeorzan, MD, a foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeon from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, urges patients to try nonsurgical treatments to improve symptoms before considering surgery. These treatment options can include rest, limiting activities, anti-inflammatory medications, steroid injections into the joint, or specialty braces that stabilize the ankle.

If you are still experiencing ankle pain and difficulty walking after trying non-operative treatments, you may be a candidate for surgery. Drs. McCormick and Sangeorzan note that there are two common surgical procedures for end-stage ankle arthritis that can help patients decrease pain and as a result participate in more normal activity.

1. Ankle Fusion

An ankle fusion is a surgery that removes the cartilage of the ankle joint and uses plates and screws to attach (or “fuse”) the leg bone to the foot bone. This surgery eliminates motion in the ankle and the pain associated with it.

2. Total Ankle Replacement

Similar to a hip or knee replacement, ankle replacement surgery removes the ankle joint and replaces it with an artificial implant made of metal and plastic. This implant allows the patient to have movement in their ankle without pain.

Studies have shown that both ankle fusion and ankle replacement significantly improve patients’ pain and function. Talk to a foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeon to identify the procedure that is most appropriate for you based on your medical history and risk factors.

Learn more about ankle arthritis from FootCareMD.

About Foot and Ankle Orthopaedic Surgeons

Foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeons are medical doctors (MD and DO) who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders and injuries of the foot and ankle. Their education and training consist of four years of medical school, five years of postgraduate residency, and a fellowship year of specialized surgical training. These specialists care for patients of all ages, performing reconstructive surgery for deformities and arthritis, treating sports injuries, and managing foot and ankle trauma.

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/05/27/2237772/0/en/I-Have-Ankle-Arthritis-Now-What.html