The Importance of Hip Exercises for Arthritis

The role of arthritis exercise for those suffering from arthritis is not one which has been known for a very long time. Hip exercises for arthritis in particular has not really been heard of until these relatively recent years. In fact the common notion in the past is that once you suffer from arthritis, you should minimize movement in the affected area as much as you possibly can.

While the health benefits of exercise and other physical activity has already been tried and tested for a long time, its impact in terms of improving the conditions of people suffering from arthritis is just presently gaining recognition. For those suffering from arthritis, exercise serves primarily to: maintain and bring back lost or diminished movement in the affected area; strengthen and improve endurance of the muscle; and keep the patient emotionally healthy and active. Exercise is also vital in terms of pain management of the affected joints.

Hip exercises for arthritis, specifically for those suffering from hip osteoarthritis, are not too common compared to those exercises geared toward those with knee osteoarthritis. This is probably because exercises for the hips are less likely to be developed due to the nature of the movement of the hip itself as compared to the knee or other jointed parts of the body. If any at all, some hip exercise varieties may require the use of special equipment for that purpose. This is significant since in the United States alone, one out of four Americans can suffer hip osteoarthritis in their lifetime.

In 2005, a research conducted in the Netherlands showed that a supervised exercise program alleviated symptoms of hip osteoarthritis in some adults. 109 men and women ages 55 and up suffering from hip osteoarthritis were divided into exercising and non-exercising groups. Those in the exercising group were given one hour a week of supervised strength exercise sessions and lower body exercises that could be done at home.

After eight weeks, the results showed that those in the exercising group experienced relief from pain caused by arthritis which lasted for 3 months. On the other hand, those in the non-exercising group suffered more pain than they previously had. Hip function for the exercise group also improved although no long term effects of this nature were recorded. This led to the conclusion that exercise can indeed aid in the management of conditions caused by hip arthritis but further research is still needed in this area.

At any rate, with or without research to back it up, arthritis exercise, and more specifically hip exercises for arthritis, can do more good than just relieving the pain caused by the disease. As with any other person, exercise can help maintain an overall good health of someone suffering from arthritis. Since hip osteoarthritis is incurable at present, activities that can help lessen the symptoms such as exercise is always encouraged. Physicians treating people with this condition would do well to take the time to explain the importance of exercise in managing arthritis.