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Does a Sedentary Lifestyle Make Arthritis Worse?

With a busy schedule of school, work, and social events, it can be tempting to spend whatever time we can get relaxing on the couch. While rest is important, if you are living a sedentary lifestyle, meaning you are sitting and resting more than you are being active, you may be seriously affecting the health of your joints and increase your arthritis symptoms. 

Balancing Rest and Activity

Inactivity can cause a variety of health concerns, such as arthritis, osteoporosis, and diabetes, but it can also lead to weight gain and weakened muscles and joints. With your body being weaker, you are more at risk for stiffness, fractures, and even breaks. You may also experience decreased mobility in your limbs.

Think of a bike that you’ve left outside. Over time, it begins to rust. The next time you go to use your bike, you may notice the gears have kinks, and that it takes more energy to use your bike properly. This is similar to what patients who live a sedentary life experience when they do become active.

For patients who live with chronic pain, it can be difficult to avoid a sedentary lifestyle, due to the fact that it can be hard to be active while in pain. Patients who experience pain are less active, and less activity causes more pain — it can be a truly vicious pattern. Here are some tips to add more activity to your lifestyle:

• If you work in an office, take a walk around your workspace every so often, even to get water.
• Plan times when you can be physically active: whether this is going for a walk in the park,  shopping at the mall, or heading to the gym.
• Join a group exercise program, and recruit a friend to be your workout buddy.

Though it may be difficult to find the time or energy to be active, remaining on your feet and powering through is important in order to keep your joints healthy. At Orthopaedic Speciality Group, we provide state of the art interventional pain management targeting spinal and musculoskeletal disorders. 

If you are experiencing chronic pain, contact us today to set up an appointment. Our primary objective is to restore function, reduce the need for addictive pain pills and improve one’s quality of life.