How To Stay Active After 50 With Shoulder Arthritis
Staying active after the age of fifty is important for a person’s physical and mental health. But what if you suffer from shoulder arthritis? This chronic condition can be painful and limit mobility, making it difficult to stay active. In this blog post, we’ll discuss some tips for staying active when dealing with shoulder arthritis.
Start Slow & Steady
When dealing with shoulder arthritis, it’s best to ease into an exercise program slowly. Start off with gentle stretching and range-of-motion exercises that don’t put too much strain on your shoulders. Low-impact activities like walking, swimming, or biking are also good options as they don’t require too much strength or range of motion from your arms and shoulders.
Focus on Strengthening
Once you’ve built up some endurance and range of motion in your shoulders, it’s time to focus on strengthening them. Start off by doing exercises that target the muscles around your shoulders such as wall pushups or dumbbell rows. These will help improve the stability and flexibility of your joints as well as strengthen the muscles surrounding them. You can also add resistance band exercises to further strengthen your shoulders.
Set Realistic Goals
It’s important to set realistic goals when exercising with shoulder arthritis so that you don’t push yourself too hard and risk injuring yourself further. If your goal is to build strength or increase your range of motion, start small and gradually increase the intensity over time as you become more comfortable with the exercises. Don’t expect overnight results—it takes time for your body to adjust to any form of exercise regimen!
Protect Your Joints
Finally, it’s important to protect your joints from further injury while exercising by wearing supportive braces or compression sleeves during activities like weightlifting or running. This will help keep the joint stable while providing extra support to reduce pain and discomfort during workouts. Additionally, be sure to take regular breaks throughout each workout session so that you don’t overexert yourself—even little breaks between sets can make a big difference!
Final Thoughts
Shoulder arthritis can be painful and limit mobility in older individuals but getting active doesn’t have to be impossible! With some careful planning and preparation, you can get back in shape without putting undue stress on your joints. Start slowly by focusing on gentle stretching and range-of-motion exercises before progressing into more strenuous activities like weight training or running. Remember to set realistic goals for yourself so that you don’t overexert yourself, wear supportive braces or compression sleeves for protection, and take regular breaks throughout each workout session – all these tips will help ensure that you stay healthy while getting fit!
Struggling with shoulder arthritis? Contact South Texas Orthopedic Specialists today!