Introduction
In addition to a healthy, balanced diet, regular sport and exercise are considered to be key points for improving health. But is this true in any case? What do patients who have particular pre-existing conditions need to bear in mind when doing sports?
Should they engage in sports at all? This text is intended to provide answers to some of these questions. In particular, it deals with sports activities for patients suffering from osteoarthritis. The disease arthrosis refers to the slow, chronic wear and tear or excessive wear and tear of joints. A reduction of cartilage mass in the joint can lead to severe pain.
Is it allowed to do sports with osteoarthritis?
The cause of osteoarthritis is often excessive strain – this can be caused by too much sport or by a greatly increased body weight. Patients who “owe” their osteoarthritis to a career in professional sports, for example, or who have previously mainly practiced stressful sports such as tennis or soccer, should rethink their training schedule and possibly adjust it accordingly. This does not mean, of course, that there is an absolute ban on sports.
All others can be advised to further increase their sports workload. Taking it easy can increase the progression of arthrosis, since a completely spared joint produces less joint fluid (as a kind of “grease”), and is therefore certainly the wrong choice. If that joint fluid is missing, on the one hand there is no sliding bearing that lubricates and facilitates the movement process, and on the other hand the joint cartilage is less well supplied with nutrients, which leads to faster deterioration and aging.
Movement of the entire body and especially of the joints prevents stiffening and can even relieve pain. It is also important to have a normal body weight in order not to exert even more pressure on the joints. In addition, targeted muscle building in particular should play an important role in order to stabilize the joints from the outside and thus relieve the strain on them.
Depending on which joint is affected, one or the other gymnastic exercise is more or less suitable for this purpose. The gentle strengthening of the muscles and improvement in mobility achieved during yoga or Pilates reduces the symptoms of osteoarthritis. For all the following exercises, however, it is equally important to ensure that the exercises are performed precisely and with the correct technique!
With incorrectly performed or too demanding exercises, every person affected can do more harm than good. In case of doubt, osteoarthritis patients should therefore always have an experienced trainer and/or physiotherapist show them the appropriate exercises and regularly check that they are still being performed correctly. Good training requires concentration and body tension just as much as other tasks.
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