Arthritis / Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is degenerative joint disease (cartilage loss, pain, stiffness), commonly in knees, hips, and hands; "arthritis" also includes inflammatory types like rheumatoid arthritis (which needs medical management and activity modification around flares). For OA, exercise is strongly recommended by OARSI, ACR, and ACSM as first-line, non-pharmacological treatment.

Exercise prescription (ACSM / arthritis guidelines):

• Aerobic: ≥150 min/week moderate, built gradually; favor low-impact modes — walking, cycling, swimming/aquatic exercise, elliptical (joint-friendly-options). Aquatic exercise is excellent for painful weight-bearing joints.
• Resistance: 2–3 days/week, strengthening muscles around affected joints (e.g., quadriceps for knee OA) improves pain and function; start light, progress gradually.
• Range-of-motion / flexibility: daily or near-daily gentle ROM to maintain mobility and reduce stiffness (flexibility-guidelines-acsm).
• Weight management if overweight markedly reduces joint load and symptoms (obesity).

• Pain-guided dosing: mild-to-moderate discomfort during/after is acceptable; sharp or escalating pain, or joint pain lasting >~2 hours after exercise, means reduce load/volume next time.
• Exercise around flares: during acute inflammatory flares, reduce intensity and favor gentle ROM; resume progression as it settles.
• Warm up thoroughly; morning stiffness may mean later sessions are better tolerated.
• Modify range, load, and impact to the symptomatic joint; use supported/seated variants.

• Sudden joint locking, giving way, marked swelling, or severe pain warrants medical evaluation.
• Inflammatory arthritis (e.g., RA) should be managed with a rheumatology team; coordinate exercise around disease activity.

Educational only; not medical advice. People with arthritis should individualize with their physician/physical therapist.

• Exercise is first-line for OA (OARSI/ACR/ACSM): reduces pain, improves function.
• Aerobic ≥150 min/wk low-impact (walking, cycling, aquatic, elliptical).
• Resistance 2–3 d/wk around affected joints; daily gentle ROM.
• Pain-guided: avoid sharp pain or pain lasting >~2 h post-exercise; modify in flares.
• Weight loss reduces joint load for overweight individuals.

• joint-friendly-options — modality and modification menu.
• obesity — weight management reduces joint load.
• older-adults — OA is common with age.
• swimming — unloads painful joints.