Arthritis and Yoga

What is Arthritis
Arthritis is not one disease - it's a family of diseases primarily involving pain in joints. It includes about a hundred diseases with a variety of symptoms affecting various ages. It is accompanied by inflammation and sometimes also stiffness. It can occur due to a variety of reasons - trauma to a joint, infection of a joint, autoimmune problems or just plain ageing. The most common forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Arthritis can happen in people of all ages - starting from very young children to older adults. Arthritis in children is known as juvenile arthritis. Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a form of arthritis that typically starts in early 20's.

Why Rheumatoid Arthritis Happens
Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune systems attacks the body itself. Think of it as an army attacking it's own country. Our body's immune system is there to fight external agents such as bacteria, viruses, etc. When the immune system has a problem, it can get confused and start attacking the body itself. In case of Rheumatoid Arthritis, it attacks the joints which results in pain, swelling, etc.

Arthritis and Yoga
While Arthritis is an enemy of your joints, look at yoga as their best friend. Yoga can help you maintain joint strength and flexibility which means you can minimize the inflammation, swelling and pain. If joints are not properly stretched and strong, they can suffer from permanent damage caused by arthritis. Yoga can help you keep joints healthy and strong. You need to choose the right yoga posture according to your condition. Over the years, yoga has become a very broad term and includes a variety of forms. It's best to work with a qualified yoga instructor who understand arthritis and can recommend the right yoga exercises for you.