| The Arthritis Foundation also acknowledges the many levels of benefits from yoga and tai chi, recommending them because they:
Help relieve pain.
Ease stiffness, keeping joints well lubricated.
Combat fatigue and increase energy.
Help relieve anxiety and depression.
Improve balance and function.
Increase flexibility and mobility.
Help prevent shortening of muscle fibers and expand range of motion without stressing or straining joints.
Improve posture, which protects joints in the neck, back, hips and knees.
Build muscle strength gradually.
Improve breathing.
Yoga and tai chi are also excellent for arthritis patients because they encourage a safe, gradual, individualized approach. “With tai chi you can go as slowly as you need to and do what’s comfortable for you,” said Kade Gray, chief instructor at the School of Tai Chi Ch’uan in Austin. “You can stay balanced, controlled and relax into it, without worrying about anybody else’s standards. You move slowly and don’t stress the joints at all. As you practice more, your body becomes more limber and you can perform bigger movements if you want.”
Some yoga is better than others. The Arthritis Foundation warns against “power yoga,” for instance. According to health educator Marian Garfinkel, of the Division of Rheumatology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, it can be harmful for people with arthritis and trigger flares. It’s very different from traditional yoga, which is gentle and moves slowly from one pose to another.
MacInerney agrees. “Ideally arthritis patients, even young ones, should find a yoga class for older people. If they go to the wrong class, it’s not going to be a pleasant experience. Anyone who offers yoga to seniors is used to working with people with limitations.”
There are also different tai chi styles. Most consist of slow, synchronized movements that are easy to learn. However, the quick, active Chen style is not recommended for most people with arthritis, according to the Arthritis Foundation.
Of course, beginning any exercise, especially with arthritis, can be challenging at first. “It may hurt a bit in the beginning,” MacInerney said. “It can be difficult to distinguish between the normal pain of arthritis and pushing a posture too far. I often talk to my students with arthritis about good pain vs. bad pain.”
The bottom line is not to push too hard. “I advise arthritis patients to notice how flexible they are at night and then to see how much ground they’ve lost the next morning. They want to recapture that ground. Beyond that, they need to be more careful, taking it slowly,” said MacInerney, who adds that he has seen good progress with arthritis patients. “I have a student who thought he had to give up driving because of arthritis in his neck. He couldn’t turn his head. He gained much more range of motion in his neck from yoga and was able to keep driving.”
Tai chi practitioners also see its impact on arthritis. “I suffered from arthritis before starting tai chi,” said Gordon Baker of Austin. “After two months, some time between learning the move ‘single whip’ and the ‘second brush knee push movement,’ I realized I was no longer having any pain in my hand or arm.”
Gray had a similar experience: “I used to suffer from arthritis. Since I’ve been practicing tai chi, I don’t have arthritis pain anymore, and my joints are much stronger. I’ve also seen tai chi help many of my students who have arthritis. They tell me their joints feel much better now.”
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