Flat Preloader Icon Loading please wait....

Emergency

Is walking good for osteoarthritis?

Hello!!

And welcome to the One Care Medical Center one of Coimbatore’s fastest growing orthopedic hospital, My name is Dr. Abdul Salam and I am a full-time orthopedic surgeon at OCMC. In today’s short read we are going to discuss on

‘Is walking good for osteoarthritis?’

Knee osteoarthritis is a kind of a catch-22 situation, to be honest. ‘it hurts to move, but you need to move to make it less hurtful’. Exercise eventually does make your knee joint better.

As with most patients, leaving the joint motionless for a prolonged period of time and then starting to walk all of the sudden can definitely make your knee joint feel seriously sore. 

Walking rebuilds your joint

In osteoarthritis what basically happens is that the springy cartilage in the joint becomes damaged. This damage ultimately results in pain, stiffness and restricted range of motion. Regular walking on the other hand rebuilds your joint and helps supply nutrients to the tissue in and around the joint facilitating healing

Walking strengthens the legs

Building your leg muscles eventually helps lift the load of your degenerated joint. What this simply means is that there is less pain to cope up with

Walking and weight loss

Less weight = less pressure on the knee. Walking is simply one of the best ways to lose weight. Lighter people are usually less susceptible to develop osteoarthritis in the first place.

Minimum Walking

o stay healthy, all you need is about 30 minutes of walking for at least 5 days a week. Nothing more. Overdoing things for a few days, will make you sore and kill the motivation for exercise. Consistently working out over a long period of time usually has the best benefits.

Some signals that suggest you need a break include:-

A. Sudden swelling

B. Severe pain to the extent that you are unable to bear weight

C. Instability, so that you feel like you will fall

Of course, remember to wear the right shoe. Post walking, keep your leg raised and put ice on your knee joint. If walking is too painful, you may need to speak with your doctor. You may need some assistive devices. Figure out the problem with an expert.

Remember,

You must trust your body. You must move. Because motion itself has a healing effect.

I hope you enjoyed reading this article. Do share it with all your loved ones. Of course, keep moving and be healthy