[lightbox link=”https://www.naplespilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/rsz_dollarphotoclub_56096244.jpg” thumb=”https://www.naplespilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/rsz_dollarphotoclub_56096244-300×199.jpg” width=”300″ align=”left” title=”Naples Pilates” frame=”true” icon=”image”]There are approximately 70 million Americans in the United States today who suffer from some form of joint pain or arthritis.

Are you one of them?

While arthritis affects many individuals as part of the normal aging process, it can also affect anyone of any age. Chances of getting arthritis can be increased by risk factors like work conditions, obesity, gender, or an injury. There are more than 100 forms of this illness. The most common are the following three.

Osteoarthritis– This form of arthritis occurs when joints wear down over time, often due to age, obesity, or a previous injury. Some of the most common symptoms are:

• Soreness in the joint after movement
• Experiencing pain after you haven’t moved in a while
• Bony enlargements that can be painful, often occurring in the end and middle finger joints

Rheumatoid Arthritis– This type of arthritis is not limited to your joints, but can spread to every other organ in your body. It is considered an autoimmune disorder that is characterized by painful swelling, inflammation, and stiffness in the wrists, legs, arms, and fingers.

Juvenile Arthritis– This is also an autoimmune form of arthritis that occurs in children 16 years or younger. Some of the signs of this disease include:

• Weight loss
• Joint swelling and stiffness
• Appetite loss
• Fever that reoccurs
• A blotchy rash that can be found on the legs and arms

Naples Pilates: Pilates for Arthritis

While there are many treatments for the various forms of arthritis, including medicine, laser treatments, and massage therapy, Pilates may be an additional form of treatment that can help reduce your joint pain and assist you in achieving better mobility. It did for single mom Monica Blake. This mom suffered from rheumatoid arthritis. In a detailed report given to USA Today, Monica explained how fearful she was that her arthritis would disable her.

According to Blake, after numerous drugs and a few surgeries, Pilates helped to reduce her pain and increase her strength and flexibility. In the same article, John Klippel, the president of the Arthritis Foundation in Atlanta is quoted as saying that Pilates is useful in helping to keep the muscles around a person’s joint much stronger. This can help reduce the disabling affects of arthritis.

If you’re suffering from arthritis, Pilates in Naples can help you too. Here’s how.

• Build Muscle Strength– You don’t have to lift weights to build up the strength of the muscles around your joints. Pilates helps you contract your muscles with specific exercises that don’t involve moving your joints, which can be painful. These isometric forms of Pilates can help you build up your muscle strength easily. One exercise, for instance, that strengthens the muscles in your arm involves pressing your palms together. Because you don’t need to move your joints in order to perform this exercise, you get all of the benefits without the pain.
• Reduce Fatigue– Fatigue is an issue that many individuals with arthritis face daily, often compounded by immobility and extreme pain. If you are not able to run, write, walk, or even stand because your joints cause you so much pain, and basic tasks leave you feeling tired, hurt, and worn out, Pilates for arthritis can help. These exercises can help improve the stamina of the muscles around your joints. This can help reduce inflammation and help your body feel more energized.
• Improve Flexibility– One of the best advantages of taking a Pilates class when you suffer from arthritis is the improved flexibility you’ll experience. Individuals with arthritis often have trouble moving their joints and feel weak because of the inflammation they experience. They also can find it hard to stretch the muscles around their joints. Pilates caters to this problem by using specific exercises that can increase the mobility of your joints. This increases your range of motion and helps to reduce the pain you experience from the disease.

Are you ready to battle arthritis pain? Pilates, Fitness & Therapeutics can help you reduce the pain you experience, increase your flexibility, and improve your strength with Naples Pilates and muscle activation techniques. Learn more by contacting us now.