Do you have knee or hip pain from arthritis?
Research has shown that losing 10% of your weight can result in a 28% increase in function. In other words, losing 10% of your body weight can lead to increased ability to walk, climb stairs, put on your shoes or just do your regular everyday activities around the house and the yard.
But how do you go about losing those extra pounds and experiencing those health and mobility benefits from the lost weight?
A very relevant study showed that exercise paired with dietary advice may be the best answer. While we may not be diet gurus, we’re most definitely experts in the exercise department!
Exercising doesn’t have to be hard. In fact, it can be something as simple as going for a brisk walk, hopping on a treadmill or exercise bike for 15-30 minutes and doing 15 minutes of resistance training with the highly portable resistance bands.
Participants in a study performed by Messier and colleagues showed that people with knee arthritis who exercised for 1 hour, 3 times per week, paired with education and support on diet resulted in an average decrease in body weight of 5.7%. The exercise program included both cardiovascular training and training with resistance bands. The participants were able to maintain this weight loss after 18 months. More importantly, the group also experienced an average decrease in pain of 30%!
We know that knee and hip pain can be exhausting. Have you thought about how exercise could be a helpful remedy to the daily grind?
If you’re interested in getting into an exercise routine for your knee or hip pain, give our clinic a call to learn more or book an appointment. Any of our physiotherapists would be happy to set you up with a treatment plan to suite your lifestyle and your interests.
If you are struggling with arthritis or waiting for a knee or hip replacement and are interested in have a speedy recovery, come out to our free information session being held Wednesday, March 6th, at 6:30 pm. Please RSVP to the clinic as space is limited.