Arthritis doesn’t have to mean giving up exercise - Jo Whiley reveals how she changed her routine
We spoke to physios who share how you can change your strength training routine to continue exercising with arthritis too
As we age, we have to adapt the way we exercise and strength train to avoid injury and protect our bodies. This is something DJ and presenter Jo Whiley has been finding difficult as she enters her 60s.
Speaking on the Dig It podcast to fellow host Zoe Ball, Jo admits: "I find it very, very frustrating, the things that I can't do. There's just something in my head that doesn't want to accept that I'm not capable of doing things that I used to."
In the recent episode, the pair speak to strength coach Kate Oakley, who specialises in training menopausal women. She's a huge advocate for women staying strong and active as they age. "We need to be strength training in midlife [to] work on our bone density and our muscle mass, which is declining from perimenopause onwards," explains Kate.
During the conversation, Jo discusses how she's adapted and learnt how to exercise with arthritis after her diagnosis. The condition makes it difficult for her to bend her fingers to hold and grip dumbbells. She tells Zoe and Kate that she has been working with a personal trainer called Adam for over a decade. He has been helping her to adapt her training.
“[My body] has really changed in terms of the ailments that have come along,” she says, before adding that Adam is “constantly telling me different angles to hold things at, different ways to grip onto things. So I can vouch that there are ways that you can adapt your routine. There are different ways around it”.
Woman&home has asked physiotherapists and pain management specialists how to continue exercising with arthritis.
How to continue exercising with arthritis
1. Start lighter
Most people will find they can improve their strength, mobility, and stability with bodyweight exercises or very low resistance, says Nicola Michell, an APA-titled pain physiotherapist with a master's degree in pain management.
"Exercise adaptations for hand or wrist arthritis can include using no resistance at all," she says. "We can make the exercise harder with slow, controlled repetitions, shorter breaks and more repetitions if needed. Think Pilates-style movements where higher repetitions, little pulses, and layers provide the load."
2. Alter your grip
As Jo says, you can still do strength workouts with weights even with arthritis, but you may need to adjust how you hold the dumbbells.
"With arthritis in the fingers or hands, the main aim is often to reduce how tightly the fingers need to close around the weight while still allowing the person to train," says Helen O'Leary, a chartered physiotherapist and clinical director of Complete Pilates.
You can do this in a few ways, she says:
- Make the dumbbell handle thicker: "Wrap a towel, foam tubing or a grip sleeve around the handle. A larger diameter means the fingers do not have to curl as tightly, which can be much more comfortable for painful finger joints."
- Use a relaxed grip: "The dumbbell only needs to be secure; constantly squeezing it as hard as possible adds unnecessary load through the finger and thumb joints," says Helen.
- Try using a lifting strap or grip-assist cuffs: "For exercises like rows, deadlifts, or carries, straps can transfer some of the load from the fingers into the wrists/forearm."
- Use weights with wider, softer hands: "Rubberised or padded handles can be more comfortable than narrow, hard metal ones," she says.
3. Change the weight
That being said, Nicola says that arthritis of the fingers can mean holding a dumbbell or weight is impossible. Everyone is different.
"For those patients, we just skip it and go with resistance bands at the wrists or forearms," she says. "We also look at adding load in other ways, like with a weighted vest, machine, or with barbells on the shoulders instead."
4. Work with what's comfortable
Both Kate and Helen suggest modifying your movements if you have arthritis to limit how far you move.
"You do not always need to move through the deepest or fullest range of an exercise to get stronger," says Helen. "If you are having a difficult day, simply modify how far each exercise goes, rather than stopping altogether."
In the podcast episode, Kate gives the example of a lunge. Hold onto the back of a chair for support and, slowly, just bend your back knee as low as your own joints allow you to.
5. Take it to the pool
Jo has previously said that during flare-ups, she does swimming workouts instead. "I feel quite achy a lot of the time. My joints are really achy, my shoulders, my fingers, my hands, and after I've done something [like swimming] I feel loose, I feel more flexible," she says on another episode of Dig It.
Nicola agrees this is a good idea. "Water exercise can also be both nervous system regulating, add multi-dimensional resistance and settle pain at the same time," she says.
Is strength training good for arthritis?
Yes, says Kate. "It's not going to make the arthritis go away, but it can help. As you build strength in the muscle, it's going to support the joint."
The key to exercising with arthritis is to adjust the weight and reduce the range of motion, says Helen. "Choose appropriate exercises, rather than avoid strength work altogether," she says.
A study in the Journal of Personalized Medicine reviewed almost 30 studies on the effects of strength training on those with knee and hip osteoarthritis and found it was effective in improving pain, strength, and function.
Another in the Journal of Hand Therapy found that strength training safely increased grip strength and reduced pain in those with hand osteoarthritis.
Tips for exercising with arthritis
- Start lighter: "Make sure the focus is on good technique and gradually increase resistance as your confidence and tolerance improve," says Helen.
- Use pain as feedback: "Mild muscular effort is expected, but sharp, increasing or persistent joint pain is a sign to modify the exercise," says the physiotherapist.
- Progress gradually: "Increase one thing at a time, resistance, repetitions, range or training volume, rather than changing everything at once. This way, you know which may have changed your symptoms and which may not," she says.
- Keep moving between strength sessions: "Walking, cycling, mobility work and Pilates can help maintain joint movement without placing the same demands on the body."
- Allow more time for recovery: "Arthritis symptoms can fluctuate, so some days may allow for heavier strength work while others for a lighter session. Be kind to yourself and work with your body," says Helen.
One thing all the experts agree on is that your exercise routine doesn't have to look the same as someone else's. "A squat to a chair, a supported split squat or a leg press may all train similar muscles, but one may feel significantly better for a particular person," says Helen.
If you have significant joint swelling, rapidly worsening pain, instability or are unsure what level of loading is appropriate, working with a physiotherapist can help build a programme around your specific joints and symptoms. This article is not intended as medical advice.
