Yoga To Overcome Arthritis Pain
Updated: Oct 7, 2022
With winter in full swing living in cold countries can be tough, uncomfortable and affect your quality of life. There could be some truth to the old wives’ tale that aching joints can be an indicator of a change in weather. We have structured 5 Restorative Yoga Postures to over come arthritis pain, which will make you feel good and alleviate the pain.
Lets us first understand what is arthritis? Arthritis is the swelling and tenderness of one or more of your joints. The main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsen with age. The most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Type of Arthritis
Osteoarthritis arthritis involves wear-and-tear damage to your joint's cartilage — the hard, slick coating on the ends of bones where they form a joint. It affects the entire joint which causes change in the bones and deterioration of the connective tissues.
With Rheumatoid arthritis, the body's immune system attacks the lining of the joint capsule, a tough membrane that encloses all the joint parts.
Symptoms
The most common signs and symptoms of arthritis involve the joints. Depending on the type of arthritis you have, your signs and symptoms may include:
Pain
Stiffness
Swelling
Redness
Decreased range of motion
Benefits of Yoga for Arthritis
The movement and stretch that yoga can offer is helpful and can sometimes alleviate some of the low back pain associated with arthritis. Yoga offers gentle stretching and flexibility to overall body. Also, breath work can be incredibly helpful for people with arthritis because it improves chest expansion.
Working with a yoga teacher is a smart idea to help you to best tailor yoga poses, or asanas, for your needs. We have created a set of yoga poses which can help you to overcome the arthritis pain.
Low Lunge Pose: This is a great stretch for the hip flexors, which may be tight in people with arthritis. Take a lunge position, drop your right knee to the floor, and lengthen your tailbone in the direction of your right heel. Lift your arms up or keep your hands on the ground for support and slide your right knee forward. Take deep breathe during the stretch.
Benefits: Improves flexibility, stretches the spine and hip flexors muscles.
Low Lunge Pose
Child Pose: This is a really gentle and easy way to stretch the lower back. Get into the pose by dropping down onto your knees, spread your knees wide and bring your big toes together. Sit your hips back onto your feet or heels and reach your arms forward onto the ground.
Benefits: Improves flexibility, stretches the spine and hip flexors.
Child Pose
Cat and Cow Pose: Get on all fours with your hands shoulder width apart, your wrists right under the shoulders, and fingers spread wide. Your knees should be hips' width and right under your hips. Now bring your chest forward, up toward the ceiling, as your shoulder blades press down toward your waist, and tip your pelvis up and back so that your sitting bones are reaching up.
Reverse the Cow Pose to do the Cat. From all fours, pull your navel in and up to round out your spine, arching away from the ground. Reach your hips back toward your ankles to increase the space between each vertebra.
Benefits: Improves flexibility, stretches the spine and corrects your posture.
Cat Cow Stretch
Half fish Pose: Gentle twisting should be beneficial, but as with any other pose, if the twist causes any pain, come out of it immediately.
Sit erect with your legs stretched out. Make sure that your feet are placed together and your spine is absolutely erect. Now, bend your left leg such that the heel of the left foot lies next to the right hip. You can also keep you leg stretched if that makes you feel comfortable
Then, place the right leg next to the left knee by taking it over the knee. Twist your waist, neck, and shoulders towards the right, and set your gaze over your right shoulder. Make sure your spine is erect.
There are many ways you can place your arms to increase and decrease the stretch. But to do it simply, you can place the right hand behind you, and the left hand on the right knee.
Benefits: Helps you to massage the spine.
Half Lord of Fish Pose
Downward Facing Dog: Start on all fours, with your knees directly below your hips and your hands slightly in front of your shoulders. Spread your palms and turn your toes under. Next, exhale and push your knees away from the floor.
Lengthen your tailbone away from the back of your pelvis and press it lightly toward the upper part of your hips. Now, lift your sitting bones toward the ceiling, and draw your inner legs up into your groin area from your ankles.
Benefits: Improves flexibility and stretches the spine.
Downward Dog Pose
An article has been published with the results of a (clinical trial of yoga) that was conducted in the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center how yoga can be helpful to overcome the arthritis pain. This was a large, rigorously conducted, randomized, controlled trial of yoga designed and conducted by health professionals including experts in rheumatology, psychology, public health, and yoga therapy. A core concept of yoga is to always honor what will allow you to benefit most from the practice.
The thumb rule for any person in general or arthritis patient is, if it hurts stop. It is always important to be gentle with your practice, especially for the first time. If you do not experience any pain after a few days, you can decide to gradually increase the intensity of the poses. Be sure to consult your doctor and instructor if you experience any pain or difficulty resulting from yoga practice.