Joint Friendly Workout Tips: Exercise Without Joint Pain

Joint pain is an issue many personal training clients face. One joint commonly affected is the knee joint. Research indicates that one in four adults has knee pain. Other joints that can be afflicted with pain include the ankles, hips, elbows, and shoulders.

Finding a way to exercise that doesn’t aggravate this pain is critical to helping clients reach their fitness goals. This first requires understanding some of the most common reasons for joint-based pain. The next step is to create a workout that is easy on the areas of the body connected with joints.

Causes of Joint Pain 

Joint issues can have a variety of causes. Knowing what brings on pain in the joint helps trainers create an exercise plan that takes that specific pain into consideration. Here are some of the most common causes of joint pain.

• Arthritis. It is estimated that more than 92 million adults have arthritis according to the Arthritis Foundation. This leads to swelling, tenderness, and stiffness in the joints. There are over 100 types of arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is one. This is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the joints. Osteoarthritis, or wear and tear, is another. Knee osteoarthritis impacts roughly 16% of the population. People with this type of arthritis may simply say that they have “bad knees.” 

• Fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is characterized by chronic pain. This pain can be felt in the joints, but also the muscles. People with fibromyalgia also often feel fatigued. So, not only do they have to overcome pain to improve their fitness, but they also face energy issues. This condition impacts approximately 4 million adult Americans. While the cause of fibromyalgia is not known, exercise can help ease the pain it creates.

• Other chronic pain conditions. Many other conditions can cause chronic joint pain. Ankylosing spondylitis, bone cancer, lupus, and Lyme disease are just a few. Any of these can cause joints to feel stiff and tender. 

• Injury. Sometimes joint pain is a result of injury. Injuries that can result in knee pain include a torn meniscus or ruptured ligament. Another injury to the knee joint is a fractured patella. The patella is the kneecap and it can be broken during sports or from a fall. Injuries to the shoulder joint include a rotator cuff tear, frozen shoulder, or dislocation. Injury can lead to both short and long-term pain in the respective joint.

• Overuse. Overuse or overtraining can also lead to joint pain. Overuse conditions include tendinitis, bursitis, or a stress fracture. In these cases, doing too much with too little rest weakens the joint. It also causes pain. If the overuse is not corrected, injury can result.

Joint Friendly Workout Tips

Exercise helps promote joint health. At the same time, physical activity should be pursued in a way that doesn’t aggravate the joint. These tips can help you create an exercise plan that reduces joint stress.

Aim for Regular Exercise

Harvard Health reports that “the secret to joint pain relief” is exercise. Exercise offers many benefits to the joints. One is that it helps promote a healthy body weight. The higher your weight, the more stress is placed on lower body joints such as the knee and ankle. Getting regular exercise helps keep your weight from increasing this stress.

Exercise provides additional benefits for people in chronic pain. Research indicates that it can improve physical function and may even reduce pain severity. In simple terms, this means being able to do more with less discomfort. 

Regular exercise involves working out several times a week. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week—preferably more. This can be broken down into five 30-minute sessions per week or a 20 to 25-minute exercise session every day. 

Start Slowly

Doing too much exercise too quickly can place more strain on the joints. With this strain comes increased pain.

When working with a new client who has joint pain, start slowly. Begin with short bouts of exercise to see how they respond. Once their body becomes acclimated to regular movement, you can start increasing duration and maybe even intensity.

Get Your Calorie Burn with Low Impact Cardio

The idea of doing cardio can be scary for someone with joint issues. Though, there’s one type of cardio that is easy on the joints: low impact cardio.

A low impact workout increases heart rate without increasing joint stress. Examples of low impact exercise include walking, swimming, and riding a stationary bike. That makes these great options for clients with joint issues.

Yoga also provides a low impact workout. Clients with a lot of joint pain may benefit from a restorative yoga class. Those looking to improve their fitness while decreasing joint pain might get more out of Ashtanga or Vinyasa yoga.

Related Articles: Yoga Styles and Certification; Yoga for Improved Range of Motion

Don’t Forget Strength Training

It may seem like resistance training would increase joint pain but the opposite is true. The stronger the muscle surrounding the joint, the better it is at providing support. This helps reduce or prevent joint pain while also reducing injury risk.

Building muscle strength on both sides of the body can also correct muscle imbalances. If your left knee is weaker than the right, for instance, this can result in knee issues on that side of the body. Building the muscle around the left knee may help correct this pain. 

When first starting out, begin by lifting light weights. Aim to complete 8 to 12 repetitions. Then work up to three sets of 12 reps. As strength increases, weight can increase as well. The use of a heavy weight can help boost muscle mass with fewer reps. 

If a client is uncomfortable using dumbbells or barbells, try other devices instead. For instance, a resistance band can help build muscle. Bodyweight exercises are another option.

Incorporate Flexibility Exercises to Relieve Achy Joints

Flexibility exercises help improve joint range of motion. This makes it easier to perform everyday activities. Flexible knees make it easier to walk or climb stairs. Flexible hips improve the ability to bend over and pick something up. Shoulder flexibility is helpful when grabbing items from behind you.

If a client has joint pain, incorporate stretches to improve joint flexibility. Dynamic stretching is good before workouts. It helps prepare the muscles and joints for exercise. Static stretching movements are beneficial after exercise. They help the muscle relax and release. Aim for 1-2 movements per joint.

Joint Friendly Workouts

What does a joint friendly workout routine look like? The options are endless. Though, each includes cardio exercise, weight training, and stretches. Here are some sample programs:

Joint Friendly Workout Program #1:

• 20 minutes of low impact cardio daily

• Alternating days of upper body and lower body strength training; 3-4 days per week

• 5-10 minutes of stretches daily

Joint Friendly Workout Program #2:

• 30 minutes of low impact cardio five days per week

• Full body strength sessions 2-3 days per week

• 3-5-minute stretching sessions twice daily

Joint Friendly Workout Program #3:

• 50 minutes of low impact cardio three days per week

• Full body strength sessions 2 days per week

• 5-10 minutes of stretching after each workout

When to Seek Help for a Sore Joint

If you work with a client who is unsure of the cause of their joint pain, they should see their doctor before beginning an exercise program. They should also talk to their doctor if the joint pain is intense or consistent. Should the pain occur mid-exercise, stop the aerobic exercise or resistance workout immediately and suggest that they seek medical attention.

In any of these instances, the client’s doctor can run tests to determine the cause of the joint pain. The client may also be referred to a physical therapist for treatment. This healthcare professional can help rehab the painful joint.

What else can you do for clients with joint pain? ISSA’s Corrective Exercise Specialist Certification teaches more ways to prevent and treat joint pain through exercise. You’ll also learn how to restore structural alignment, thereby easing pain issues. Start learning more today!

References

BUNT, MD, C., JONAS, DO, C., & CHANG, MD, J. (2018). Knee Pain in Adults and Adolescents: The Initial Evaluation. American Family Physician, 98(9), 576-585. Retrieved 6 July 2022, from https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2018/1101/p576.html.

Arthritis By the Numbers. Arthritis.org. (2019). Retrieved 6 July 2022, from https://www.arthritis.org/getmedia/e1256607-fa87-4593-aa8a-8db4f291072a/2019-abtn-final-march-2019.pdf.

Cui, A., Li, H., Wang, D., Zhong, J., Chen, Y., & Lu, H. (2020). Global, regional prevalence, incidence and risk factors of knee osteoarthritis in population-based studies. Eclinicalmedicine, 29-30, 100587. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100587

Fibromyalgia. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Retrieved 6 July 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/fibromyalgia.htm.

The secret to joint pain relief — exercise - Harvard Health. Harvard Health. (2014). Retrieved 6 July 2022, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/the-secret-to-joint-pain-relief-exercise.

Geneen, L., Moore, R., Clarke, C., Martin, D., Colvin, L., & Smith, B. (2017). Physical activity and exercise for chronic pain in adults: an overview of Cochrane Reviews. Cochrane Database Of Systematic Reviews, 2020(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.cd011279.pub3

Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Health.gov. (2019). Retrieved 6 July 2022, from https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_2nd_edition.pdf.