The surrounding muscles of the tight and aching joints of your body are often
more tense than you may realize at first. Over time, you can become
accustomed to having your muscles clenched up, so much so your body's
stiffness becomes something you expect, something that you don't worry too
much about.
But when you are having arthritis pain, that tightness and that stiffness is
that last thing you need to have present. You need to loosen things up a bit
by taking the time to stretch.
Stretching will:
-Improve your flexibility
-Improve your balanced
-Soothe stiffness and tightness
-Help to prevent pain from arthritis
Our bodies were designed to move and to move easily, but when we're
sitting down a lot of the time, the muscles clench up from a lack of use. In
addition to exercise, stretching needs to become a part of your daily routine.
Stretching also doesn't have to be a lengthy chore in order to give you the
results you need. You can spend just a few minutes a day stretching in order
to keep your joints and ligaments limber and supple.
Here are some of the easiest stretches you can do:
Wrist stretches
You can be sitting or standing for this stretch. Take one hand and put
it out in front of your body as though you are making a 'Stop' sort of
gesture. Take the other hand and gently pull back on the fingers of
the outstretched hand to feel a pull in the underside of the arm and
wrist. Switch sides.
Shoulder circles
To help loosen up your shoulders and neck, put your arms to the side
and slowly move your shoulders (not using your arms) around in small
circle patterns. Do this a few times and then reverse the direction of
the circles.
Backs of the arms
Take one arm and pull it across your body so that the wrist touches
the opposite shoulder. Gently push the elbow of the arm that's across
the body to feel a stretch in that back of that arm. Switch sides.
Chest stretches
Take your arms and reach behind yourself to try to hold your hands at
the small of your back. With the hands locked and fingers interlaced,
slowly lift up your arms to feel your shoulders and chest stretch. Do
not try to lift too high, just enough to feel the stretch. Then lower
your arms back down slowly.
Abdominal stretches
Lie on your stomach, if possible, and place your arms to your sides,
palms on the floor by your ears. Slowly push yourself up through your
palms until you begin to feel your abs stretch, slowly lower down.
Repeat a few times, controlling your movements by making them as
slow as possible.
Waist stretch
Standing up, turn your waist from side to side in order to stretch out
the sides of your abdomen. Do this slowly and try to prevent your
hips from moving at the same time in order to isolate the waist.
Hip stretch
Sit on the floor, with your legs out in front of you. Take one leg, bend
it and place the foot on the opposite side of the other leg's knee. Turn
your body to the side of the bent leg so that the opposite elbow is on
the opposite knee. Slowly turn back and switch legs.
Hamstring stretch
Standing next to a wall or holding onto a sturdy chair, try to take one
leg's foot and pull it to the back of the same leg. Hold it in place, then
release and switch legs.
Calf stretch
Stand and face a wall, keeping your legs about 2 feet from the wall
itself. Place your hands on the wall and slowly lean in, keeping your
legs straight. Slowly push yourself back and repeat.
Ankle rolls
Sitting, slowly roll your ankles to stretch them out, switching directions
every now and then.
These stretches do not need to be done all at once, nor do they have to be
done each and every day. Stretching, however, is more effective when it is
done on a regular basis.
If you're finding these stretches painful, you might want to stand in a hot
shower for a few minutes or walk for 5 minutes before starting them. This
way, you can give your muscles a chance to warm up and relax before you
stretch them out.
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