3 Tips for Runners with Arthritis

Welcome back to Unexpected Abundance! Take a moment to settle in and get ready for another conversation. I was brainstorming topics for the blog earlier this week, and as I was writing, I realized that I haven’t really tapped into what it’s like to run with arthritis. 9 months ago, I was diagnosed with Reactive Arthritis, a swelling and stiffness in the joints caused by an infection in another part of the body. In my case, my left knee and right wrist experienced extreme swelling and stiffness. It got to a point where even moving my joints was extremely painful. I had to get my knee drained and take medication to lower the swelling in my right wrist. Once I recovered, I lost about 50% strength in the affected joints and had to rebuild strength for the muscles surrounding the joints. I also had to start from zero with running and really build my body back up to a point where I could run with little to no pain. 9 months later, I’ve finished a half marathon, run over 267 miles, and am going to compete in another race some time later in the year. I’ve learned some important things along the way that I’d like to share with you all. Without further ado, here are 3 tips to help runners who deal with arthritis.

1. Strength Training

As I mentioned during the intro, I lost a lot of strength in my left knee and right wrist. I did a little bit of physical therapy shortly after I was released from the hospital but didn’t have a robust training plan afterwards. I stayed off my feet for about 1 month and a half and just started to run again. I did that to get my body used to running again, feeling the impact on my ankles and knees every time I stepped on the ground. It wasn’t until the later part of my preparation for the San Diego Half Marathon that I began to incorporate weights into my training, and it made a huge difference come race day. I won’t include a full training plan here, but I wanted to list some exercises that I found helpful.

• Split Squats: This exercise was helpful because it helped with building stability and strength in my knee. At first, I only did bodyweight and low reps to test the range of motion of my knee. I’ll be honest, I could barely bend my knee without having pain. As I got stronger, I started expanding the range of motion and would do more reps on my left leg to build the strength back faster. Today, I do about 3 sets with 8-10 reps per set and have little to no pain while doing the exercise. Prior to lifting again, I would notice my left knee start to buckle and give out during a long run. This would put pressure on my right knee, making it vulnerable to injury. Today, there is a vast difference in how I used to run, and I can comfortably run on both knees, but also feel confident when I run. This makes a difference when you are beginning to run, knowing your body is a well-oiled machine and will perform at a high level.

• Single Leg Romanian Dead Lift (RDL): The split squat and single leg RDL are my go-to exercises for lower body workouts. Both exercises focus on strength and stability in different ways. The split squats focus on quads and hamstrings, depending on how far forward you place your knee, while the RDL focuses on your hamstring and stability of your knee. I started doing the single leg RDL, and like the split squat, did more reps on my left leg to build strength quicker. My left knee would buckle a lot when I started running again. The lower part of my quad muscles was so weak that it was hard to walk at times, especially after long periods of sitting. The single leg RDL does a great job of working your hamstring and building stability on my left knee. I started out with light weight (20 lbs), but have built up to about 50 lbs, and usually do about 3 sets and 8-12 reps per leg. If you’re dealing with an injury, whether it’s a sprain or arthritis, or if you’re not injured, I’d recommend these exercises. They’re both great exercises that build strength and stability and give you an advantage while on the road.

I’m sure you noticed, but these exercises are single leg exercises, with the intention of creating stability/strength, but evening out any muscle imbalances. You may not notice it during the run, but the next day soreness gives you a good idea of which muscles need more work. For me, I had to build strength back to what it was prior to my injury. Of course, I did other exercises like calf raises, jump squats, squats, and lunges, but the split squats and single leg RDLs allowed me to do normal exercises that require both legs with more ease. I couldn’t jump right back into doing a 225 lb back squat, or a 225 lb front squat. Arthritis affects your joint’s ability to bend and carry weight, so you must ease back into it. Do additional reps on the affected joints to strengthen those muscles and keep lifting weights. Over time, you’ll see the difference in your body when you’re running and will feel even stronger than before. For my wrist, I would do normal upper body exercises like dumbbell bench, curls, shoulder press, but with low weight. Like the knee, I had to build the stability in my joints. Although I don’t use my wrist when I’m running, I do utilize my shoulders/back to prevent me from slouching and affecting my running technique. I need my wrist to lift the weight, so building the stability back was important. In summary, arthritis weakens the joint and surrounding muscle(s). Find exercises that will rehab those muscles back to full strength and allow you to do general exercises that will help you as a runner. Do split squats to help you squat again. Do single leg RDLs to help you deadlift again. Once you’ve found those exercises, continue lifting to minimize your chances of getting hurt while you’re killing it out on a run.

2. Stretching/Nutrition

This seems obvious but is hard to execute. The whole reason I got sick in the first place was because of food, so changes are needed, but they are for the better. As I’ve gotten older and put more miles on my body, I can’t get out of bed and lace up the shoes and go running. I mean, I can, but it would be very stupid, and I would highly regret it. Stretching gives your body a chance to warm up and loosen the joints/muscles before beginning a workout. With arthritis, your body now needs additional warming up prior to the warmup, to prevent further injury to the joints/muscles. I found these warmup routines to be helpful and were easy on my knee/wrist:

• Jump rope: jump rope builds the calf muscles and is a simple exercise that can be done by anyone. It’s a full body exercise that builds stability on your ankles and knees, with your body weight impacting the ground with every foot strike. It’s also a good exercise to practice zoning out, a method runners use for long runs. I would try and shoot for a time, instead of reps. 2 minutes is a good starting point, but it doesn’t mean you have to go straight. If you’re bad at jump rope like I am, you’ll have to stop and collect yourself, but try and go for 2 minutes and build from there.

• High knees: A traditional, but effective exercise. I love doing high knees to wake my knees up and start striking the ground with my feet. It can be hard to see, but your foot strikes the ground every time you step, and when you run, there is more impact due to the speed you’re going at. The high knees simulate the motion, allowing your body to ease into the foot striking. I made this mistake a lot when I first started, but don’t use the first 15 minutes of a run to warm up your body. Do the proper stretches prior to minimize the time your body uses to warm up during a run. At most, the first 3-5 minutes should be used for the final touches of your warmup before all systems are up and running at full capacity. Especially for runners with arthritis, stretching correctly before a run is important for longevity and efficiency.

• There are other stretches/warm up routines you can do, but I found these two helped me a lot with my knee and helped me recover quicker.

For nutrition, if you’re dealing with any kind of arthritis, avoid high sodium foods. I’ve seen that high sodium foods tend to aggravate my arthritis by making my left knee and wrist stiff and painful at times. I try my best to avoid it, but when I can’t, I drink a lot of water and drink ginger tea to ease the stiffness. Although sodium can be flushed out with more water, it still increases the chance of aggravating the arthritis in your body, so, if possible, avoid high sodium foods. Another ingredient I found to really help was turmeric. I started to add turmeric to my meals and noticed my knee and wrist were more flexible and relaxed. Try to add that to your diet and see if you notice a difference.

3. Patience

Lastly, the hardest advice to implement. Well, at least for me. This is something I struggle with a lot, as I tend to be impatient with my exercise/diet regimen. I am a creature of habit, meaning if I have a schedule, I have to stick with it or I feel that I’m behind. If I have a training regimen and I miss a workout, I feel that I’m at such a huge disadvantage. If I had a great workout one day, and I feel weak the other, I get upset with myself and get into a negative headspace. It’s harmful to your physical and mental health, which are the key to your success. Be patient with the process of recovery. The arthritis doesn’t affect me as much, and I still find myself getting frustrated with workouts or myself. The hardest thing I had to accept was that my body wasn’t the same as before. I have to do more to take care of myself, and that is nobody’s fault. It’s the circumstances that I was dealt with, and it’s up to me to deal with it. I encourage you to do the same. Find a solution, stick to it, and be patient. Take the good days with the bad days and use both as a learning experience. If you’re showing up with the intention to get better, you’ll be fine.

Running with arthritis hasn’t been an easy process. Although my right knee wasn’t affected, it still makes a loud cracking sound every time I go up the stairs and it can be a little embarrassing at times. I have to take further action to treat my joints and make sure that I don’t make myself vulnerable to further injuries. But I’ve found this to be a fruitful experience that is still ongoing that has forced me to make positive changes in my life. I hope you were able to take something from our conversation today, but if not, I’m still glad you dropped by. I hope you have a great day, and I’m looking forward to our next conversation.