Easing Arthritis Pain through Yoga

A form of exercise that has been practiced for thousands of years, yoga helps to relax the body and mind, improve joint flexibility and build muscle strength. But did you know that yoga can also help to reduce arthritis pain? According to the Arthritis Foundation, yoga is an exercise regime that can provide relief for individuals suffering from arthritis, as it has been shown to help relieve joint stiffness and pain while also reducing stress and promoting introspective thinking.

If you are interested in trying yoga as an arthritis reliever, BEK Medical has a few tips to help you get started:

Find the Right Instructor

For individuals suffering from arthritis pain, modifications maybe needed to ensure yoga poses do to put too much pressure on your aching joints. Lyengar yoga is one great option for those with arthritis, since it allows for the use of aids that will reduce the amount of stress put on your body. Talk to your doctor or rheumatologist while searching for a yoga instructor to see if there is an instructor they can recommend.

Practice Daily

Once you have learned the proper techniques for your body with an instructor, begin practicing yoga regularly – even daily – to further improve the exercise’s benefits. Whether you practice the poses you have learned in class or follow an instructional video, taking time to stretch out your joints each day will be a great relief.

Just remember to pay attention to your body, and go easy on yourself when arthritis pain is flaring.

Learn to Manage Pain Differently

There is much more to yoga than just physical benefits, and according to yoga instructor Linda Howard, practicing introspective thought with yoga can help you to locate the sources of your pain and learn to relax them. Also, a study performed by Subhadra Evans, PhD, showed that subjects’ daily levels of pain had not changed as much as the way they viewed their pain.

Yoga can provide individuals with arthritis a new, more positive outlook while also helping to reduce the amount of joint pain they are feeling.

To learn more about what yoga can do for your arthritis, check out this article from SoMuchYoga.com.

For further arthritis relief, BEK Medical offers an array of home medical equipment and medical supplies, including light compression arthritis gloves. Browse our products online and call us at 915-599-1129 with any questions you may have.