Exercise: An effective prescription for joint pain Joint pain can rob you of life's simple pleasures—you may no longer look forward to walking your dog, gardening, or chasing a tennis ball across the court. Even the basics of getting through your day, like getting into the car or carrying laundry to the basement, can become sharp reminders of your limitations. Get your copy of The Joint Pain Relief Workout: Healing exercises for your shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles   Is joint pain holding you back? Perhaps an achy ankle or sore knee is making it difficult to enjoy a run through your favorite park or even taking a short walk. Or maybe a throbbing hip or shoulder prevents you from whacking a golf ball or performing simple tasks like carrying a bag of groceries. The exercises in this report, The Joint Pain Relief Workout: Healing exercises for your shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles, can help relieve ankle, knee, hip, or shoulder pain, and help you become more active again, which can help you stay independent long into your later years. Common causes of joint pain include arthritis, previous injuries, the strain of repetitive movements, posture problems, aging, or inactivity. It is tempting to avoid the motions that cause you pain. But limiting your movements can weaken muscles and make compound joint trouble worse. But the right exercises performed properly can be a long-lasting way to subdue ankle, knee, hip, or shoulder pain. For some people, the right exercise routine can even help delay or side step surgery. Your goal should be to pair gentle, targeted joint workouts with a simple walking routine. Your doctor should advise you before you begin a new exercise program, but these simple stretching tips are important to any workout. Warm up first. Muscles stretch more easily when warm. Doing the warm-ups before any workout, or taking a warm shower or bath, will do the trick. Feel no pain. Stretch only to the point of mild tension, never to the point of pain. If a stretch hurts, stop doing it. Reset your position carefully and try again. With time and practice, your flexibility will improve. Breathe. Breathe comfortably when stretching. Practice often. You'll see the best gains if you do gentle stretching frequently—several times a day on as many days of the week as possible. For more on developing and mastering a joint pain relief workout, read The Joint Pain Relief Workout, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School. Image: stockmachine/Getty Images Share this story:

The dangers of sitting When you're in pain, it may be hard to make yourself get up and move. But consider this: A growing body of evidence suggests that spending too many hours sitting is hazardous to your health. Habitual inactivity raises risks for obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, deep-vein thrombosis, and metabolic syndrome. Researchers aren't sure why prolonged sitting has such harmful health consequences. But one possible explanation is that it relaxes your largest muscles. When muscles relax, they take up very little glucose from the blood, raising your risk of type 2 diabetes.  Sitting can also increase pain. Even if you're reasonably active, hours of sitting—whether reading a book, working on the computer, or watching TV—tighten the hip flexor and hamstring muscles and stiffen the joints themselves. Overly tight hip flexors and hamstrings affect gait and balance, making activities like walking harder and perhaps even setting you up for a fall. Plus, tight hip flexors and hamstrings may contribute to lower back pain and knee stiffness, scourges that many people suffer with every day. Given the research, breaking up long blocks of sitting to flex your muscles seems like a wise move for all of us, so try to build more activity into your day. Set a timer to remind you to get up and move around every so often. Take your phone calls standing up. Try an adjustable standing desk for your computer. Instead of sitting in an armchair while watching TV, sit on a stability ball, which makes you use your muscles to stay upright. And, yes, do our joint pain relief exercises. For more on developing and mastering a joint pain relief workout, read The Joint Pain Relief Workout, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School. Image: shapechange/Getty Images Share this story:

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The Joint Pain Relief Workout: Healing exercises for your shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles Featured content: • Taking the first steps • Safety first • Why weight matters for joint pain • Getting started with basic cardio exercise • Dig deep for motivation • Using the joint-specific workouts • Ankle workout Click here to read more »