I have a friend who is in his thirties and has contracted a strange disease – his legs have been hurting mysteriously since a few months ago. When the pain is severe, it is difficult for him to walk, and even holding a bowl of rice is unstable. Later, the pain spread to all his joints. When he went to the hospital, they couldn’t find any problems like arthritis. For several months, he has been suffering greatly, and a few days ago, he talked to me about this matter. I think his condition is likely not a problem with the joints themselves, but rather caused by his habits of living and working.

1. It is best to choose low-intensity aerobic exercise

People with poor joints should choose aerobic exercises that enhance endurance, strengthen bones, and strengthen leg muscle exercises, such as climbing stairs, walking, and dancing. Even if the intensity of the exercise is not high, it should be gradual according to personal condition, and the amount of exercise per day should not be too large. Generally speaking, 30 minutes to one hour of exercise per day is enough.

2. To strengthen muscle and bone exercise

To increase muscle strength and reduce joint pain, it is necessary to perform 2-3 sessions of resistance training per week. If you are not very familiar with these exercises, you can ask a professional fitness coach to assist in choosing appropriate exercise programs and equipment.

3. Swimming is a very suitable exercise option

Many patients with rheumatoid arthritis believe that they cannot get wet, which is actually a misunderstanding. For patients with rheumatoid arthritis, swimming is a very good exercise, as it not only increases joint flexibility but also strengthens the body, enhances the ability to resist pain, and will not put excessive stress on the joints. However, swimming also requires a certain amount of exercise, and it is best to increase the amount of exercise gradually and not too frequently.

4. It is important to protect heart health

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis are more prone to heart disease, and aerobic exercises such as walking, dancing, and climbing stairs are beneficial to heart health and reduce the risk of heart disease, so it is important to selectively perform aerobic exercises. Not only can they reduce blood pressure and maintain a healthy heart, but they can also prevent osteoporosis.

5. Suitable home exercise

Chest compression exercise is a movement that helps alleviate joint pain and is beneficial to heart health: keep your arms even with your chest, the palms facing each other, and push inward with force for 5 seconds, repeat 2-3 times. After reaching a certain stage of exercise, the time of each inward push can be increased to 15 seconds. Isometric shoulder expansion exercise is a static action: stand upright, lean against the wall, place your arms on both sides of your body, and push your upper arm and body away from the wall with your elbows, repeat several times, each for 5 seconds.

6. Exercise the thigh muscles

Sit on the ground, extend one leg straight, bend the other leg, tighten the thigh muscles for 5 seconds, repeat once, and then switch to the other leg for the same exercise. After reaching a certain stage of exercise, the duration of each movement can be increased to 15 seconds, but not too long.

7. Exercise the fingers

Stand upright, extend your hands forward and make a fist, then straighten your fingers, repeat 20 times. After reaching a certain stage of exercise, the number of movements per session can be increased to 50, or the action can be changed to holding a soft spherical object. Because one of the important manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis is finger pain, this exercise can greatly improve finger joint pain.

8. Exercise the flexibility of the wrists

Rheumatoid arthritis can cause wrist pain, so it is also very important to exercise the wrists. Sit in front of a table, place the left forearm on the table, the left hand on the edge of the table, and pull the fingers of the left hand towards the left wrist with the right hand, repeat 20 times, and do twice a day.

9. Exercise the elbows

Extend your arms forward, with the left hand pulling the right hand outward, and then switch to the right hand pulling the left hand outward after 5 seconds. After reaching a certain stage of exercise, the duration of each stretch can be extended to half a minute.