Pain when doing exercises

Kismet

I've just been diagnosed with arthritis of the hip and been given a link to your exercise regime. I find it quite painful to do some of the exercises. I suppose this is to be expected, but should I just soldier on or stop at some stage? I do feel better after doing the exercises, physically and mentally.

TLee

When I was seeing a physical therapist, she cautioned me to only move as far as my hip will allow without pain. Some exercises that we tried were dropped as soon as I said ouch. I asked her, "So, what about the 'no pain, no gain' philosophy?" She said it definitely did not apply. Now that I am exercising on my own, I admit that I do sometimes push into the pain zone (not excruciating, but uncomfortable), and I have not had any ill effects. It is possible to take things a bit too far and suffer afterward--like when I tried to keep up with my family on a recent visit to our city's large zoo--but I knew I was a goner when I was whimpering with every step. I'd say use your own best judgment, but generally, if it only hurts a little you're probably OK. If you end up crying, maybe cut back.

jonr

Hi @Kismet,

This is pretty much everybody's experience when first starting out with physio and exercise, I certainly found it hard.

What worked for me was to undertake these after being "warmed up" either through a walk or just generally moving around the house and then undergoing the exercises in bite-size chunks, so little and often so it wasn't too intensive. It helps to get pain management nailed as well through prescribed meds, supplements, aids and/or alternative therapies.

helpline_team

Hi@Kismet

Thanks for your post to the Helpline. I'm not sure what type of arthritis you may be affected by (whether it's Osteoarthritis or another condition) and the kind of treatment information that we can offer you will depend on that.

You can look up types of arthritis and also more on where it affects you in:

Conditions | Types of arthritis, causes, treatments (versusarthritis.org)

There's a lot of helpful information in:

Exercising with arthritis | Top tips, specific exercises (versusarthritis.org)

(See getting started with exercise, and how much exercise should I do - as they should help with your questions.) You might also be interested in the Let's Move with Leon, which you can sign up for.

We've produced many videos on exercising and you can see them on our YouTube channel.

Versus Arthritis - YouTube

If you still find you have lots of questions, do ring us here at the Helpline on 0800 5200 520. There's often a lot to be said for talking to a healthcare professional - especially a physiotherapist.

Physiotherapy | Benefits and how it can help | Versus Arthritis

I hope that's helpful.

Guy - Helpline Team

Nurina

Stretching arthritic joints is always painful but it's essential to deal with this issue.If you feel better after doing exercise, it's good. You'll feel better day by day. Like @jonr says, a pre warm up is good, walking, indoor bike or clean the house 😂.