When you’re going through joint pain, doing any exercise can be harmful. Instead of struggling on finding which exercise will be better for you, you can choose cycling. This is especially good for those who have knee pain or disease like arthritis.
Cycling can help you by burning calories, pumping blood as well as working out some joint issues too. It’s a low-impact activity that is recommended for people who have hip or knee problems.
Even people who are not able to engage in high-impact sports or workouts can do this. Cycling puts less stress on your leg, especially the weight-bearing joints of the knees, hips, and feet. It also offers an excellent cardio workout too.
Why Cycling Is Good for Your Joints
Cycling is the most effective way to work out for you if you have joint pain. Doesn’t matter where you do this indoor or outdoor, both can give you relief from the pain.
While cycling your legs do continuous motion which is the main part of a patient who has arthritis. When you move your joint too first, it produces synovial fluid. This fluid is one kind of lubricant that will help your joints more easily without any pain.
But pedaling every time is not possible as you are an arthritis patient. So an electric bike can be the best solution. But choosing the best electric bike for arthritis is not a fish to fry. You have to do complete research and analysis for an electric bike that you can ride and pedal at a time.
If you want to start exercising on a regular basis then start with 10 minutes of cycling at low resistance. You can enhance the time, resistance as well as frequency over time. Remember that you have to set your goal for 20 to 30 minutes of cycling a day.
There are more benefits you will get from cycling. Here are some of them-
- Weight Control
Excessive weight can aggravate inflammatory arthritis and put additional pressure on your joints, especially your knees.
- Adjustable Intensity
Bicycling is a sport that can be done at a variety of speeds. If you have a tendency to go slowly, you can coast from time to time or use the lower gears to relieve the strain on your legs. Low resistance cycling is just as helpful as high-intensity cycling. It can also improve function as well as gait, reducing pain, and increasing aerobic fitness in patients with knee osteoarthritis, according to research.
- Muscle Strengthening
Is your bike’s pedal resistance low to medium? This can enhance your hip and knee range of motion. And also develops your quadriceps muscles which are placed on the front of your thighs.
Pedaling engages your glutes along with hamstrings to a lesser extent which are placed in the muscles at the rear of your thigh. Muscles that are strong help to attribute your joints.
What You Should Prefer Between Indoor Or Outdoor Cycling?
When you’re cycling indoors you can change the speed whenever you want. In outdoor cycling, you set your own pace, and your speed is determined by the road. In the lowest gear, you can’t turn the knob back to reverse.
Furthermore, your entire body will be engaged, from your core to remain upright, your glutes to climb, and your upper body to get out of the saddle. Indoor cycling is often a 45- to 60-minute suffer-fest that burns calories while also checking the “exercise” box off your daily to-do list.
If you have a crazy schedule, it might be more reasonable and easy to get your daily workout via human-powered vehicles rather than trying to fit in gym time. Additionally, studies have shown that riding a bike to work increases happiness and productivity.
Things You Should Consider While Cycling With Arthritis
It’s obvious that you can ride an electric bicycle with knee issues or arthritis. But you should be aware of some things like you have to ride at your own pace. You don’t need to push yourself hard or don’t put excessive pressure on your knees.
With an e-bike when you ride in the pedal-assisted mode, you can decide how much speed you should go up. In this situation, you can make an excellent balance of power and suspension.
Bending knees can sometimes be hurtful for you as a patient with arthritis. So choose a bike with larger frames that will give you relief from knee pain. To achieve the best outcomes, consider your pedaling rate high. You can simply carry an ebike with knee difficulties if you thoroughly evaluate these things.
Things to Do to Avoid Injury
Once you’re steady enough to ride a bike comfortably, make sure the bike is appropriately suited for your physical structure. The proper saddle height will help keep your hips and knees from being overworked.
The saddle must be at least 5-10% lower than the pedal. Which will prevent your knee from bending past a 5-10% angle while pedaling at its lowest setting.
For that modify your seat to the correct place and choose the most comfy intermediate position for you. You might want to consider having your bicycle custom fit to your body, which is a service provided by many bike shops.
Wrapping Up
Cycling is the most low-impact exercise that helps every people with joint issues. It’s a great low-impact option to get some exercise without putting too much strain on your joints. Those with arthritis or injuries may benefit from cycling as a supplement to maintenance or treatment facilities. Adding a good amount of cycling to your physical fitness program will help you maintain your body and joints in great form. It doesn’t matter if you exercise indoors or outdoors.
Photo Credit. – Top photo by Really good Bikes, 2nd photo: Bestproducts.com