Keep moving to reduce joint pain and stiffness

From moderately annoying to practically incapacitating, joint pain and stiffness are incredibly common and become more prevalent as we age. But whether your joints ache from a hard workout, years of wear and tear or arthritis, there are strategies to manage the pain and remain active.

And remaining as active as possible is often the first strategy recommended by Endeavor Health sports medicine specialist Kirsten Geary, MD.

“Motion is lotion,” Dr. Geary regularly reminds her patients. While many athletes are anxious to get back to their favorite sports as quickly as possible, there are many patients who are reluctant or nervous to begin an exercise program when they are challenged by joint pain.

“I preach all the time, moving your body helps move the synovial fluid around to lubricate the joints. Most people are stiffer in the morning and as they start their daily activities they start to loosen up and feel better,” said Dr. Geary. “This is especially important for areas like low back pain — not moving definitely makes it worse.”

Some key strategies to manage joint pain and stiffness and stay active include:

1. Physical therapy. “Building strength around your joints and improving your mechanics so your body is working efficiently is so important,” said Dr. Geary, who recommends working with a physical therapist (PT) to develop a personalized plan of exercises to safely gain strength and ensure proper form and alignment.

   “Why wouldn’t you want to work with a professional who has an advanced degree and experience to help you learn how better to move your body and protect your joints,” added Dr. Geary.

   In many cases patients only need a few sessions with a PT to learn the exercises and continue working at home with minimal equipment using body weight or resistance bands. You don’t need a gym or heavy weights to work on isolating and strengthening smaller muscles.

    

2. Strength training. “Flexibility is just as important as strength and activities like yoga and Pilates are great in supporting strength and mobility,” said Dr. Geary.

   Building a regular routine that incorporates strength training and stretching as well as cardio exercise is important to maintaining long-term joint health and overall wellness. “Incorporate dynamic stretches into your regular workout,” said Dr. Geary.

   You need to be consistent with strength workouts to build strength that will help protect your joints; two or three times a week is not enough, she added.

    

3. Recovery. But for those athletes who are really pushing themselves and seriously training to make real gains in strength or speed, recovery is equally important as consistency in movement.

   “It’s so important to listen to your body and take rest days when you need them,” said Dr. Geary. “Backing down temporarily and taking a rest day helps keep you going in the long run. And sleep is incredibly important; it’s when the body heals itself,” she said.

    

4. Integrative medicine. Integrative medicine treatments like acupuncture and massage therapy help many people manage joint pain and stiffness and stay active.

    

5. Adapt activities. When pain is the result of severe arthritis and patients are faced with bone-on-bone in large joints like the knees, they may have to change their form of movement, but should still try to remain active.

“Even if you can’t run like you did when you were younger, you can still enjoy walking and hiking. There are ways to listen to your body and adapt your activities. Staying active is so important for your physical and mental health,” said Dr. Geary.