How can I exercise in pain?

Hi! I'm no spring chicken either, but I do swim, which helps. It feels like there's some oil back in the joints!

My doctor said it's ok if I skip the exercise when I'm hurting, but I find that I feel stiffer when I don't do my water aerobics! I guess everyone is different. If you are in a lot of pain, you should talk to you doctor about how to take care of that. But don't worry, we all do what we can.

Hi!

I'm Joy, the manager of this site.

You're not alone. We have had people write in asking how could they possibly exercise with such joint pain.

One of our writers, Pattye Snyder, writes all the time about how she manages to exercise and work as a photographer even though she's had most of her joints replaced because of arthritis. She's going to Africa to help the people of small town in Tanzania and she is planning to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro! You can read about her:

Living with Osteoarthritis: Joint Replacements, Joint Pain and Faith

Our doctors have also written about some exercises that people with arthritis might like to try too:

Exercises for Osteoarthritis

Pool Therapy for Arthritis

Ask your doctor for exercise suggestions that may work for you. Your doctor may also be able to help you determine if you need medication (or new medication) to help with the pain. Good luck!

Swimming is the only exercise that I have found that allows me to exercise with minimal pain.  If you allow yourself to play with movement in the water, you can find positions and movements that allow your body relief from pain.  The pool and aqua exercises are wonderful.