Exercise can contribute to healthier joints
For the final instalment of the “exercise as medicine” series that I have been writing with Dr. Jason Profetto, I’ll be outlining some of the ways in which resistance training and cardiovascular exercise can contribute to healthy joints.
While there are many joints in the body, the ones that benefit the most from regular exercise are the larger ones. Specifically, this means the shoulders, knees and hips. In addition, the entire spine responds favourably to movement and to efforts aimed at building strength and stability throughout the “core” and the “shoulder girdle.” In the opinion of Profetto, the greatest argument that can be made for prescribing exercise to help manage illness and “dis-ease” is in regards to joint health. Naturally, biologically and in evolutionary terms, our body’s joints are meant to articulate regularly through specific movement patterns and if they don’t, they will degrade, degenerate, weaken and break down. The most effective and safest way to keep them moving (and to keep them healthy) is with regular exercise.
As an example, current literature and research demonstrates, consistently, that exercise for arthritic knees can be as powerful, if not more powerful, than anti-inflammatory drugs in managing pain and maintaining function. The type of exercise most often cited in these studies are “land based” activities like weight lifting, cycling and/or walking. A structured exercise plan for arthritic knees that includes these activities may prove to be a safer alternative to longterm drug use.
One of the main reasons to exercise around the joints (both healthy and arthritic) is to build strength and muscle to act as a brace and to provide stability. In my experience, the best way to do this is to engage in a variety of activities that provide different “stresses” to increase strength and to avoid overuse injuries. Overuse or “repetitive” strains happen as a result of doing the same things over and over. A common repetitive strain injury is rotator cuff tendinitis in people that swim for fitness who never perform any strokes other than the front crawl. To prevent this, swimmers should vary their strokes, or, alternate swimming days with days that they walk, cycle or lift weights.
Another indirect benefit of exercise, in conjunction with a healthy diet and nutrition plan, is weight loss. The weight bearing joints; specifically the lumbar spine, hips, knees and ankles benefit tremendously from optimizing one’s weight. There is a direct relationship between longterm joint health and the amount of loading that must be endured over time. Reduced load bearing means less wear and tear.
Both regular, sustained aerobic exercise and strength training benefits the joints. Ideally, people would engage in a combination of the two; meaning that they would perform cardiovascular exercises weekly along with weight lifting or strengthening activities. They can be performed on separate days or together on the same day. The most important consideration is the likelihood of following through, consistently, over time. Moderate aerobic exercise can be performed five to seven days per week for 30- 60 minutes, while vigorous exercise is most beneficial when performed two to three times per week for up to 30 minutes. In the best case scenario, exercisers would do a combination of both and would also perform a strength training workout two to three times per week. Along with efforts to strengthen specific joints, the goal should be to develop full body fitness with a plan that includes both pushing and pulling movements.
Here is an outline of what a typical week might look like: Monday- 45-minute walk. Tuesday- 20-minute full body strength workout using exercise bands followed by 20 minutes of stationary cycling that includes interval sprints.
Wednesday- 30-minute walk. Thursday- 30-minute elliptical machine workout.
Friday- Full body strength workout with dumbbells.
Saturday- Vigorous walk or jog that includes hills, stair climbing and/or “speed bursts” for 20-30 minutes.
Sunday- Rest or light recreational swim.
Medical Exercise Specialist Ernie Schramayr helps his clients manage medical conditions with exercise. You can follow him at erniesfitnessworld.com; 905-741-7532 or erniesfitnessworld@gmail.com Special to The Hamilton Spectator