Arthritis is a condition that affects the cartilage between bones. Though there are over 100 variations of the disease, one of the symptoms they unfortunately share is joint pain. The reason for this is that Arthritis causes the cartilage, a firm but flexible tissue that acts as a protective buffer between bones, to become inflamed and wear away. The loss of cartilage leads to friction between the adjoining bones, wearing them down and causing discomfort or pain for the arthritis sufferer.
Exercise can be one of the best treatments for arthritis, which may seem strange when you consider that arthritis is a disease characterized by movement pain. Exercise helps by strengthening the muscles that surround the affected joints, providing additional support and relief for the damaged cartilage. Exercise can also help with weight control, further reducing stress on the joints, as well as providing more energy throughout the day and better rest at night.
The Mayo Clinic sums it up this way: “Even moderate exercise can ease your pain and help you maintain a healthy weight. When arthritis threatens to immobilize you, exercise keeps you moving.”
Arthritis is not only an often disabling disease, but it’s also a very common one. According to the Center for Disease Control, 46 million American adults have been diagnosed with some form of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus, or fibromyalgia. Though extensive research continues in the field, prevention and treatment are presently the best weapons against this disease.
Exercising on the bellicon is an ideal solution for most people with arthritis. Rebounding on a bellicon mini-trampoline conditions you from the inside out, providing a world-class cardiovascular workout, muscle toning, lymphatic drainage, all while improving balance and strengthening your bones. Because of our unique bungee suspension system, it provides all of these benefits with the least possible stress on your joints and cartilage, which anyone with arthritis pain will appreciate. Spring based rebounders can’t begin to compare to the gentleness, and effectiveness, of a bellicon workout.
If you have arthritis, you should make sure to take it easy when beginning a new exercise regimen, even rebounding. Even if you are gentle about it, you will probably feel some aches or pains after exercising for the first few weeks. If the pain lasts for more than two hours after your workouts, you might be doing too much, so try reducing the intensity or duration of your workouts until the discomfort is manageable. Stretching before and after your workout will also help your joints to adapt more quickly to the increased activity.
“The truth is that you will have to stick with an osteoarthritis exercise program for about six weeks, exercising two or three times per week, to start feeling or seeing any benefit.” Ronenn Roubenoff, MD, Rheumatologist, Arthritis Today
We suggest the “Health Bounce” for anyone with arthritis who is beginning to use the bellicon. Health Bouncing is when you bounce in such a way that your feet never leave the surface of the rebounder, but instead take advantage of the bellicon’s extreme elasticity by pressing deeply into the mat on each bounce. It’s a gentle and efficient way to get your heart, lungs, muscles, and lymphatic system energized while exercising your joints in one of the least stressful ways possible.
For most people with arthritis, using the bellicon is a great way to get maximize their fitness and overall health, or to get themselves back into the exercising habit. After a few weeks, you should begin to feel more energy and vigor, and a reduction in arthritis symptoms.
