Aerobics for Arthritis

Livestrong.com—December 15, 2010

About 22 percent of adults in the United States have doctor-diagnosed arthritis, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention reported in October 2010. The pain and inflammation caused by arthritis may limit your mobility and activity level. Aerobics, when performed safely, can improve your current arthritis-management program. Consult your doctor before beginning any new exercise regimen.

Types

Aerobics can take many different forms. Choose low-impact aerobics, such as walk aerobics, cycling classes, water aerobics, dancing or low-impact aerobic classes. Other beneficial aerobic activities include gardening, brisk walking and swimming. Avoid high-impact aerobics and aerobics that require a lot of twisting, rapid stops and rotations, advises physical therapist Lisa Konstantellis, the section manager of the Joint Mobility Center at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. She further encourages all arthritis patients to include five- to 10-minute warm-up and cool-down periods as part of any aerobics session.

This story originally appeared at livestrong.com.