Exercises for Managing Arthritis

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In last week's blog post, we talked about moving in non-linear and unconventional ways as a way of increasing your comfortable movement capacity and decreasing pain at any age.

YEP - this even applies to arthritis, that aching, swelling sensation in joints that (often) leads to less and less movement over time!

The biggest places we hear about arthritis becoming problematic are:

• Hand and finger joints
• Lower back and neck
• Hips
• Knees

 ... and there is so much more to be done than just enduring!!

1. Red Light Therapy : You can literally just buy a brooding light for chickens, throw in an infrared bulb and heat the sore tissues for 5-15 min/day. The infrared light penetrates tissues at a deep and healing level while gentle heat soothes.
2. Arnica Salve Massage : Once you’ve warmed your bones, take an arnica salve and massage it in with LOVE. Spend 5-10 minutes on the sore, stiff spaces, helping your brain understand the area better by giving it pressure and stroking movements, flooding the sensory cortex with information (and - often - feeling deep relief!)
3. Movement and Mobility : Now, it’s time to re-wire some of that stiffening “reflex” that happens with less movement over time (which creates more pain, which decreases movement which … well. You get it.)

Follow along with these videos of our favorite warm up movements to maintain mobility. You’ll want to stay within pain-free ranges of motion, breathing fully and mindfully as you work, and paying attention to the sensations and muscular activations that occur along the way!

1. Finger Circles: just what they sound like! Draw circles in the air with each of your fingers individually. 
2. Cat-Cow: See how to do it here
3. Hip Circles: See how to do it here
4. Knee Circles: See how to do it here

👉🏽  Try this routine (red light / massage / movement) every morning for a week, and any time you feel in need of extra relief. Then let us know how it feels!

Would you like more support keeping your joints healthy? Click HERE to get in touch and get some first steps toward relief and longevity!