Introduction
Arthritis is a disease that includes more than 100 conditions that affect the joints and the musculoskeletal system. The most widespread is osteoarthritis, which causes the breakdown of the cartilage, the cushioning material between the bones. When the cartilage tears off, the bones rub each other, causing pain. For a long time, exercises have been considered one of the best ways to treat arthritis which helps in increasing flexibility and strengthening muscles around the joints. In addition, yoga can enhance flexibility, strength, and balance, which helps in improving arthritis conditions.
What Are the Yoga Poses That Improve Arthritis?
Six yoga poses improve arthritis condition:
-
Veerbhadrasana - Also called the warrior pose. This yoga pose is beneficial for frozen shoulders. In addition, it helps to strengthen the arms, legs, and lower back.
-
Vrikshasana - It is called the tree pose. This pose is not recommended for those with high blood pressure and migraine. However, it helps strengthen the legs and back and improves balance.
-
Marjariasana - It is also called a cat pose. It helps the whole body to improve strength and flexibility, including the spine, wrist, and shoulder. In addition, it helps to improve blood circulation.
-
Setubandhasana - It is known as the bridge pose. It stretches the neck, spine, and chest and helps to strengthen the back muscles. It instantly relaxes back pain and works well for osteoarthritis.
-
Trikonasana - It is called a triangle pose, which strengthens the spine, back, and chest through stretches. It enhances physical equilibrium.
-
Shavasana - It is called a corpse pose. It releases stress and repairs tissues and cells. This pose helps eliminate Vata (air element), which aggravates joint pain. It relaxes the body completely.
Why Can Yoga Be Good for Arthritis?
Regular practice of exercise or yoga makes a huge difference in arthritic conditions. It helps strengthen muscles supporting the joints, and movements are essential to reduce stiffness. Yoga helps individuals maintain a healthy weight, which removes the pressure from the joints. It makes them less likely to get heart disease or diabetes, as they most commonly affect people with arthritis. Traditional yoga poses, breathing, and relaxation, helps with joint pain and swelling.
Yoga boosts positive energy and eases anxiety. It is challenging for people with an ongoing chronic illness to stay positive with all the pain. Yoga helps boost positive energy and helps in dealing with stress. Arthritis deals with high levels of stress, which worsens the mental and physical health of the person. So it is crucial to deal with stress and to listen to the body. Practicing yoga helps us understand and respect our body and also helps to calm and relax the body, reducing the tension in the joints.
What Are the Benefits of Yoga for Arthritis?
Yoga can help people with arthritis in various ways, such as
-
Manages pain.
-
Improves mood.
-
Enhances better mobility.
Yoga is not a complete cure for arthritis. The practice helps reduce pain, improving the mood of individuals with arthritis. However, gentle yoga is advised for people with pain and limited movements, as it is safe, and following certain poses may be difficult and too risky.
How Does Yoga Help With Arthritic Pain?
If a person has arthritis, it does not mean they are off limits of all exercise and physical activity. Regular practice of certain forms of yoga after proper consultation with doctors will help improve physical and mental health. Yoga helps muscular strength, flexibility, functional mobility, physical function, and disease progress in people with knee osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The complexity of the pain and being the primary factor of arthritis, many people practice yoga. Yoga helps strengthen painful joint muscles. Yoga can help with joint muscle strengthening. Yoga poses can help reduce pain and irritation. Nerve pain may be caused by the spine pressing on a nerve - which causes sciatica, where yoga helps to ease it. It regulates the pain between the body and the brain, where the sensations are interrupted. Yoga helps to reduce these activities.
Does Yoga Help With Mental Health?
The arthritic condition affects one or multiple joints. Specific arthritis is associated with depressive symptoms. Arthritis causes chronic pain, which leads to frustration, stress, and depression. Yoga helps to calm the mind, reduce stress, and helps in the betterment of the mental state of mind. Simple breathing done during yoga helps to calm the mind.
What’s the Best Way to Start Yoga for Arthritis?
Check With the Doctor:
The doctor should instruct the person with arthritis on the dos and don’ts to be done while practicing yoga.
To Find a Yoga Instructor Familiar With Arthritis:
Some yoga therapists are trained to work with the clinical population. These instructors are trained to develop treatment plans and should be consulted to treat chronic pain or limited movements. In addition, they also instruct on specifically modified yoga practices which are different from the usual poses.
Pick the Suitable Class:
Let the instructor know about the condition. There are various yoga classes: gentle, beginners, therapeutic, restorative, adaptive, accessible, and for seniors. Appropriate yoga classes should be chosen where the yoga practice is modified based on the issue.
Take It Easy:
Yoga may sometimes be challenging, but it should not worsen the arthritis condition at any cost. Instructions given by the instructor are optional. Only instructions that are comfortable and do not worsen the condition can be practiced.
How Long Will It Take To Feel Better?
There is no specific time for the practice of yoga. It should become a lifestyle rather than an activity to be done daily. Proper postures, deep breathing, and stretches are to be done daily, which give tremendous results and cause better changes in physical and mental health.
Conclusion
Arthritis is a disease that causes chronic pain in the joints. Yoga practice helps reduce the pain and discomfort in the joints due to the tear of cartilage between the joints. The yoga postures and exercises can be modified for arthritic individuals, as they cannot perform all the exercises. Arthritis causes a huge mental barrier due to chronic pain, one of the significant depressing factors that can be reduced by yoga, enhancing the mental state in the long run.
