How Changing Your Exercise Routine Can Help Your Overall Joint Health 🌟

If you're experiencing discomfort when exercising, switching to a low impact routine can help give your joints a break.

❓ What is the difference between low impact exercise and high impact exercise?

🦶 A workout is low impact if at least one of your feet remains in contact with the ground at all times.

🚶‍♀️🕺 Walking, hiking, rollerblading and most step aerobics and cardio dance workouts are low impact.

🏊‍♂️ Water aerobics, swimming, cycling and using an elliptical machine, put even less stress on your joints because both feet stay on the ground at all times and your body is supported during movement.

🦶🦶 A workout is considered high impact if both feet leave the ground at the same time.

🏃‍♂️ Some high impact workouts include: running, jumping rope, skipping, jumping jacks and plyometric based workouts.

❓ How might a low Impact exercise help with joint pain?

✅ A low impact exercise routine is less jarring on the body and joints, and less intense overall.

❌ With a high impact routine your body and joints must absorb the impact of your high impact movement. If your joints aren’t prepared to handle the stress, it could mean pain for any interconnected joint in your body.

❓ How do I know if I should switch to a low impact routine?

🧓 Low impact exercises are best for beginners, people with arthritis or osteoporosis, older adults, pregnant women and those affected with bone, joint and connective tissue injuries. 🤰

If you are currently engaging in a high impact exercise routine and aren’t experiencing any associated pain, great. 👍 Those who have a baseline of fitness and are not at risk for joint problems are able to handle the stress that comes with high impact exercise.

⌚ It’s also a good idea though to also mix in some low impact activities as all that high impact activity could add up over time and eventually cause an over-use injury.

❓ What can I do if I’ve already injured myself exercising?

Seeing a chiropractor is a great place to start. Chiropractors are experts in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions of the musculoskeletal system (the body’s bones, muscles, cartilage, tendons, joints and connective tissue).

✅ Visits to your chiropractor can identify potential dysfunction that may be occurring to ensure your bones, muscles, joints and nerves are working together properly, which reduces stress placed on ligaments. Your chiropractor can tell you what type of exercise best suits you before you embark on a new exercise regimen.

They can also help work with you to identify areas of weakness to work on and activities you should avoid, to keep yourself strong and healthy. 😃

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High And Low Impact Activities For Everyone

Canadian Chiropractic Association (CCA)

It is no secret that at the Canadian Chiropractic Association (CCA) we often promote the benefits of regular physical activity as a way to stay healthy and happy. In fact, the CCA thinks it’s so important that we’ve created a free app: Straighten Up Canada! The app is currently available for download via Apple Store, Google Play and Blackberry World. Featuring easy-to-follow exercises, it helps to improve your posture and allows you to stay active during your day!

Investing time to do activities or sports that you enjoy is key to healthy aging and an active lifestyle. Being physically active is often a good way to prevent and manage musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries as well as helping maintain strength and mobility. Varying your routine between high- and low-impact activities is a great way to modify your workouts and challenge the body. We’ve outlined some great suggestions for both so you can get up and get moving!

 

High Impact

High-impact exercise is typically described as an (often aerobic) activity where both feet leave the ground at the same time¹. Often, high-impact activities may include exercise classes which involve jumping, leaping, or jogging in place. Doing high-impact exercise can put you at greater risk of injury if your body is not prepared, especially if you’re just starting out. Be cautious and adapt to a lower impact version of the activity if in doubt. Otherwise, before starting high-impact exercises make sure you have warmed-up.

 

Good examples of high-impact exercises are:

• Jumping jacks
• Jumping rope
• Running or jogging on a treadmill (or outdoors)
• Performing plyometric exercises

High-impact exercises tend to be more intense and expend more energy, so it’s important that if you’re doing high-impact exercises that you’re well-prepared. For some, high-impact exercises are not appropriate: they may increase the risk of injury, commonly to the ankles, knees, hips, and even the back. That being said, high-impact exercises can have a lot of great benefits too²:

• Improves bone density
• Increases an individual’s heart rate more quickly, thereby burning more calories
• Improves a person’s stability, balance, and coordination
• Strengthens the heart and lungs

Low Impact³

Low-impact exercise tends to be less jarring on the body and joints, and less intense overall. According to the American Council on Exercise, keeping at least one foot on the ground at all times also reduces your risk of musculoskeletal injury. Some examples include⁴:

• Working out on an elliptical machine
• Low-impact aerobics
• Using a rowing machine
• Home exercise
• Walking
• Dancing
• Cycling
• Swimming
• Nordic walking

It’s important to realize that low impact doesn’t mean low intensity (unless purposely designed to be so) because you can still get an intense workout keeping both feet on the ground. Low-impact exercises are great for beginners, people with arthritis or osteoporosis, older adults, individuals who are obese, pregnant women, and people with bone, joint, or connective tissue injuries.

 

Whichever form of physical activity you choose, make sure you do it safely. Talk to your chiropractor if you have any questions. For more ways to get fit, check out Fit-in 15.

References

1Amy Gonsalves, “High Impact versus low impact.” Diabetes Outside blog. April 19, 2011. http://blog.diabetesoutside.com/?p=1060

2Paige Waehner, “High Impact Exercise—Is High Impact Exercise Right for You?” VeryWell.com. May 2, 2016. https://www.verywell.com/is-high-impact-exercise-right-for-you-1230821

3Nicole Nichols, “low impact vs. high impact exercise: Which is right for you?” SparkPeople.com. April 14, 2010. http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=fitness_defined_lowimpact_and_highimpact_exercises

4NHS, “Easy exercises.” NHS Choices. Page last reviewed: 01/03/2016. http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/Lowimpact.aspx