Things You'll Need:
- Water shoes or protective footwear
-
Step 1
Submerge your body in warm water while doing pool exercises. Warmer temperatures will raise your body temperate and increase the circulation of blood through your body. This will properly prepare and loosen up your body's muscle and joints, greatly reducing the risk of injury.
-
Step 2
Use low-impact water aerobics, such as water walking and yoga, as exercises to treat arthritis pain. These types of exercises allow free movement of the joints, without placing a significant amount of stress on the body. It is best to avoid any bouncing or jogging exercise routines in the pool, as the impact on your muscles and joints may lead to increased arthritis pain.
-
Step 3
Increase the length of your water exercise sessions gradually. Start out with short sessions of about 15 to 20 minutes, increasing resistance and the amount of repetitions in each routine. Eventually, you should be able to build up to 40 minutes of water exercise in one session as your muscles and joints become stronger and less restricted by arthritis pain.
-
Step 4
Try to exercise at least 3 to 5 days per week. Water exercise can be incorporated into a gym-exercise routine.
-
Step 5
Vary the body movements and positions in your water exercise routine to avoid overusing and straining certain muscle groups or joints. Excessive repetitions of one type of exercise routine may lead to increased arthritic pain.
-
Step 6
Use water shoes or other protective footwear when doing water exercises for management of your arthritis pain. The cushioning in these shoes will protect your feet and the joints in your legs from damage or strain due to impact with the floor of the pool.
