Are you looking for ways to stay active this summer but are worried about aggravating your arthritis? Research shows people with arthritis benefit from moderate exercise to relieve pain and improve mobility, but hydration and breaks are essential to prevent injury.

One in Five Americans Has Arthritis

About 53.2 million adults in the United States, or 21.2 percent of the population, have arthritis. The National Health Interview Survey between 2019 and 2021 found one in five Americans was diagnosed with arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, fibromyalgia or gout (CDC).

The survey also found arthritis was …

• More common in women compared to men.
• Less common with a college degree or higher.
• More common among veterans compared to non-veterans.
• More common as people age.

A Sedentary Lifestyle Makes Arthritic Symptoms Worse

Your activity level has a significant impact on arthritis and joint pain. Arthritis is more prevalent among sedentary adults (30.9 percent) compared to adults who meet physical activity recommendations (18.8 percent).

Inactivity due to arthritis can contribute to other chronic conditions like heart disease, obesity, diabetes and functional challenges.

Mild to Moderate Exercise Can Increase Mobility and Reduce Pain

Summer is a perfect time to enjoy outdoor activities and sports. Low-impact exercises like walking, biking, swimming and pickleball can benefit your heart as well as your joints and soft tissue.

The Arthritis Foundation suggests 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity. Any type of physical activity that increases your heart rate for 25 minutes is recommended three times per week. Staying active is essential for joint health because it can circulate synovial fluid to keep joints lubricated.

How to Exercise Safely in Summer Temperatures

In the peak of summer heat, it is a good idea to exercise indoors at a gym or fitness facility equipped with air conditioning and supervision from qualified personnel. Some people prefer to exercise outdoors, but you must take precautions.

“If you plan to exercise in the heat, know your fitness level, take frequent breaks, wear proper clothing, wear sunscreen, avoid [the] hottest times of the day and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate,” said Melanie McNeal, physical and occupational therapy manager in the Joseph Barnhart department of orthopedic surgery at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Swimming can be especially deceiving because you may not realize you are losing water through sweating. It is important to take breaks to get out of the direct sun and hydrate with water or electrolyte drinks.

Six Safety Tips for Outdoor Exercise

1. Consider working out in the morning or evening to avoid the hottest parts of the day when the sun is the most intense.
2. Wear a sunscreen of at least 30 SPF and reapply it according to the instructions on the bottle.
3. Opt for light-colored clothing made of wicking fabric to keep moisture away from your skin.
4. Take plenty of fluids with you when you exercise outside. For an hour workout, you will need 40 to 60 ounces of water. It is always wise to bring more than you think you will need.
5. Bring a large plastic bag with a cooling towel to apply to your neck and shoulders after your workout or during breaks.
6. Wear a hat or sun visor, and always wear sunglasses that offer 100 percent UVA and UVB protection.

Pace Yourself During Your Workout to Avoid Injury

If you are new to exercise, it is important to pace yourself and begin slowly, especially if you have any form of arthritis or an artificial joint. Overexertion can cause dizziness and make you more prone to sprains, fractures and cruciate ligament tears.

Start your workout slowly and gradually increase the intensity. Warm up your muscles with a walk and stretch before you begin. Your stamina will improve and your chances of injury will decrease.

Aquatic exercises are excellent and appropriate for people of all ages, ability levels and body composition. This form of exercise is especially beneficial for joint health, as the buoyancy of the water helps alleviate the impact of your body weight on the joints and connective tissues. Exercises performed in shoulder-height water provide sufficient resistance while being easy on the knees and hips.

Do not get discouraged if you experience stiffness in various parts of your body when you begin a new type of physical activity. It may take six to eight weeks to adjust, but be patient. Maintaining an exercise regime will help your osteoarthritis and joint pain overall.

Start Your Fitness Journey by Taking a Walk

Fitness and joint health do not have to be expensive or complicated. Walking is a free activity that can increase cardio fitness, promote weight loss and reduce the risk of heart disease and hypertension. It also tones muscles and maintains bone mass, which reduces the risk of fractures during exercise or daily activities.

Everyone has different ability levels and challenges, so discuss your workout plans with your doctor or physical therapist. If you experience chronic pain or mobility challenges, call your orthopedist. You may need a supportive brace, pain medication or a procedure to relieve joint pain.

You also might be a candidate for total joint replacement surgery. Hip and knee joint replacements can help increase quality of life, maintain an active lifestyle and improve your mobility for years to come.

Gainesville, Florida, retiree Kim Slattery loves walking her Siberian huskies, Madigan and Mingo, around her neighborhood.

Her energetic dogs require individualized attention during their daily excursions because of their size.

“I can only walk one at a time because they think I’m a sled,” Slattery, 66, laughed.

Along with her dog-walking workouts, Slattery’s active lifestyle includes exercising and playing golf, while managing slight tendonitis in her knees. In the winter of 2023, intense pain in her left knee forced her to stop her activities.

“I always stayed pretty active,” she said. “It got to the point where I could hardly walk.”

X-rays in March 2023 showed Slattery had started developing osteoarthritis, and an MRI revealed a complex meniscus tear in her left knee.

“Instead of going right to a knee replacement, we went and cleaned up the tearing in the cartilage in her knee,” said Slattery’s orthopedic surgeon Tristan Altbuch, MD. “I think from her X-rays and from her functional level, and the amount of pain that she was having, a knee replacement at that time wasn’t warranted.”

Over the next six months, the arthritis worsened in Slattery’s knee. Osteoarthritis causes the deterioration of cartilage in joints, resulting in bones rubbing against each other, leading to pain and limited movement. This type of arthritis develops in the hips, knees and hands most frequently.

Constant pain made it difficult for Slattery to complete household chores and affected her daily routine. She relied on over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications to sleep at night.

“I couldn’t golf. I was pretty limited. I couldn’t walk my dogs anymore. I was limping everywhere I went. It totally affected my social life,” Slattery said. “[Arthritis] really didn’t bother me until I tore my meniscus. I could barely walk. It hurt so bad.”

Patient Opts for Robotics-Assisted Procedure

After consulting with Dr. Altbuch, Slattery opted for a robotics-assisted total knee replacement on Nov. 16, 2023, at an ambulatory surgical center (ASC).

“Her knee joint spaces continued to narrow and compress against each other,” Dr. Altbuch said. “That led to her having more pain, significant enough to interfere with activities and daily living.”

Every year, approximately 790,000 knee replacement procedures are performed in the United States. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons estimates these procedures will increase to 3.5 million annually by 2030.

“Once I had that [cartilage] removed, it progressed pretty fast to bone-on-bone,” Slattery said. “I knew I was looking at a total knee eventually, but I didn’t think it would be that fast.”

Surgery consideration depends on the patient’s past treatments and level of pain. Treatments may include anti-inflammatory pain medications, icing the joint, injections or modifying activities like trying low-impact walking instead of high-impact jogging or running.

“Knee replacements really aren’t for people who have [lower pain levels of] two or three. The best results are in patients who have severe pain,” Dr. Altbuch said. “This is a big operation. It’s a big undertaking. It’s changing the knee joint permanently. We think for people with severe arthritis it’s making it better.

Dr. Altbuch used a robotics platform for Slattery’s knee replacement procedure. The system uses a CT scan of a patient’s joint to develop a personalized surgical plan. During the procedure, the surgeon guides a robotic arm to remove arthritic bone and cartilage from the knee and replaces it with prosthetic components called implants.

Patients may experience less swelling and faster recovery with a robotics-assisted procedure but still encounter post-operative knee pain.

“The hardest thing for patients is you have to move it when it hurts the most,” Dr. Altbuch said. “It does require a great deal of commitment from the patients to push through that first couple of weeks, which are the toughest.”

Days after surgery, Slattery started physical therapy.

“You can’t let your knee stiffen, so you’ve got to work it. Therapy is tough, and I went twice a week,” she said. “I saw my X-ray, and my X-ray looked perfect. I just knew it was all up to me now to put in the work to get it going again.”

After three months of hard work, Slattery completed her physical therapy and resumed regular activities including walking, standing and climbing stairs.

Six months after her total knee replacement, Slattery bikes, golfs and walks her dogs with her husband. She enjoys life again with her new knee.

“I’m pain free,” she said. “I have no pain.”

Schedule an Evaluation during Arthritis Awareness Month

May is Arthritis Awareness Month. Arthritis is the leading cause of long-term disability in the U.S., impacting more than 53 million adults. By 2050, cases of osteoarthritis are projected to increase more than 74 percent for knees, 48 percent for hands and 78 percent for hips.

If you are experiencing chronic pain due to arthritis, contact your orthopedist, who will evaluate your symptoms. There is no cure for arthritis, but your doctor may suggest at-home pain management options like hot or cold therapies and massage, physical therapy or even surgery.

“I would definitely recommend a total joint, if they’re having the symptoms I had,” Slattery said. “Why wait around when you’ve got a solution to fix it?”

If you are advised to have surgery, consider our ASCs for your orthopedic treatment. Factors determining whether patients are suitable for outpatient surgery include their age, existing medical conditions and the support they receive at home.

ASCs offer patients a more comfortable environment at a lower expense, convenient parking, shorter wait times and a decreased ratio of patients to nurses. Patients are sent home on the same day as the procedure to recuperate.

“Rapid recovery protocols help patients to get through these operations better. The quicker you can get people moving, the better for that patient’s recovery,” Dr. Altbuch said. “Ambulatory surgery centers are designed for rapid recovery.”

Before deciding on any treatment plan for your chronic pain, request an appointment with an orthopedist for an evaluation.

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This article is designed for educational purposes only. The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health concern or disease. It is not a substitute for professional care. If you have or suspect you may have a health concern, you should consult your healthcare provider.

Even if you have arthritis, pickleball can be a lifelong sport when taking proper precautions, like stretching, purchasing proper equipment and visiting your orthopedist regularly.

May is Arthritis Awareness Month

May is Arthritis Awareness Month. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and affects 32.5 million Americans. Often referred to as “wear and tear” arthritis, osteoarthritis develops in the hips, knees and hands most frequently. It is estimated that 78 million Americans will have osteoarthritis by 2040.

Pickleball Is America’s Fastest-Growing Sport

With more than 8.9 million players in the United States last year, pickleball is creating a nationwide sensation as the sport of choice for seniors. Community centers offer pickleball leagues, and affinity groups even plan cruises and international travel around pickleball tournaments.

Combining elements of tennis and ping-pong, pickleball uses large paddles and a perforated ball that resembles a wiffle ball. For older tennis players with knee, hip, shoulder or joint issues, this option is a wise choice, as it reduces physical stress on the body compared to traditional tennis.

Pickleball is an activity for all ages, but racket sports require adequate stretching and proper equipment, as well as doctor’s recommendations, to avoid joint injuries.

Pickleball Players Are Prone to Injuries, Sprains and Joint Strain

Due to the frequent changes in direction and pace during pickleball, injuries can occur if you lack fast reactions and decent agility. Many new pickleball players were mostly sedentary before stepping onto the court, so there is a high injury rate for the sport.

Some of the most common injuries are rotator cuff injuries or strains and sprains in the ankle or leg. In some cases, pickleball can cause fractures and concussions. Based on research from a 2019 Journal of Emergency Medicine study, experts estimated there would be more than 66,750 emergency department visits and 366,000 outpatient visits from pickleball in 2023.

Pickleball participants often omit warm-ups and continue to play through an injury. Players can also aggravate existing osteoarthritis by twisting or trauma injury, creating a flare-up (Medical Xpress).

Prepare Your Muscles and Joints before Playing Sports

Warming up and doing prehab exercises are instrumental in staying injury free when playing any sport. With a 10-minute stretch and warm-up, you can protect your joints and avoid irritating osteoarthritis or other arthritic conditions. Before playing racket sports, try the following exercises:

1. Begin with a slow jog in place or jumping jacks.
2. Do arm circles and shoulder rotations. Make circles larger before reversing direction.
3. Extend the arms and rotate shoulders backwards and forwards.
4. Do leg swings by standing next to a wall for support and swing one leg back and forth. Repeat with the opposite leg.

The important thing to remember is to begin slowly and proceed at your own pace.

“Through physical therapy, my range of motion has improved, and I’ve gradually been able to increase how often I can play,” said Carole Harland, who teaches pickleball introductory classes at Poway Adult School. “Doing dynamic warm-ups and stretching is really important because your body has to be prepared and ready for the quick movements.”

Treat Joint Injuries Immediately to Prevent Further Damage

The interconnected nature of the body means that every part impacts other regions. For example, tight gluteal muscles and hamstrings may put strain on the calves, which can make someone more prone to injure an Achilles tendon.

If you do get an injury when playing pickleball, racket sports or other physical activity, remember to use the RICE method:

Rest: Avoid using or placing weight on the injured part of the body.

Ice: Apply ice or a cold compress to the injured area for 10 to 20 minutes.

Compression: Wrap the injured area with an ACE bandage or athletic tape.

Elevation: Elevate the injured area above the heart to prevent swelling.

See an Orthopedist during Arthritis Awareness Month

Repetitive motions like wrist flicks, lunging and underhand serves can stress your joints and develop overuse injuries. If you are a new pickleball player or are interested in getting involved in racket sports, make an appointment with your orthopedist to discuss your joint health. It is essential to assess your general health, medical history, medications, activity level and past surgeries so you can stay safe in exercising.

Your doctor may recommend certain gear or equipment that will not exacerbate osteoarthritis. If you are struggling with chronic joint pain, you may want to consider a total knee or total hip replacement to relieve pain when playing sports. Waiting too long can complicate your condition, so make an appointment today so you can maintain your active lifestyle and daily activities. You don’t have to “dill” with chronic pain when playing pickleball!