Tai Chi: help with arthritis

Movement in gymnastics Tai Chi soft, graceful and mysterious. It is a safe way to relieve arthritis pain and achieve peace of mind, to develop strength and flexibility. Tai Chi is one of many alternative treatments for arthritis Arthritis - beware of ineffective drugs That can relieve pain and to take less pain medication.

Every day, early in the morning in the large and small cities in China, as well as in parks, hospitals and houses of culture US people do Tai Chi. It is believed that this ancient tradition originated in medieval China. Its purpose was improvement of the monks who spent too much time in a state without movement of mediation, and who consequently deteriorating physical health.

"Ji" - in Chinese means "energy" as a healing practice Tai Chi stimulates the movement of the inner anergy that flows like blood through the body, explains Cate Morrill, a certified Tai Chi instructor in Atlanta, USA. Most of his working time Morrill conducts classes on Tai Chi for people with arthritis and are often unfamiliar with this gymnastics. People who attend classes, they say that in 5, 10, 15 minutes after the start of practice the pain starts to go away.

Virtually all major health organizations - including the fight against Arthritis Foundation - recommend Tai Chi because this gym helps to achieve harmony of mind and body. Because of its mild effects of Tai Chi is particularly helpful for people with arthritis. But before you start practicing the exercises, as well as before any other exercise, you should consult your doctor. If there are no contraindications, you can start classes.

Movements of Tai Chi invigorate and make the joints more mobile, develop flexibility and balance. The practice aims to relax: the focus is on breathing, comes inner peace and serenity, the brain is freed from the thoughts and the body relaxes. That is why Tai Chi is often called "meditation in motion". When a person focuses on breathing and body movements, he is distracted by all their concerns and experiences.

These daily activities as cultivation of gardens and cleaning the house, and even simple actions performed by, for example, to take a bath and get out of it, to perform easier, if you are flexible and strong muscles, and when you easily keep your balance and keep the body in the correct position.

How is the activity of Taiji

Tai Chi movements are full of natural symbolism: "The wind carrying the lotus leaf," "dust off against the wind", "white crane spreads its wings" and so on.

However, the motion exercises are very effective in practice. Patients with arthritis of the knees do not bend your knees almost at walking pace so they often tough. Some Tai Chi exercises are aimed at returning the knees flexibility.

For example, in the exercise "hands like clouds" need to focus on hands that move like clouds floating through the air. But in the hands of each stroke should follow the slow oscillation of the body. Movement hips direct rest of the body - one leg bent at the same time, and the other drawn. Then the movement of flows to another part of the body. Hands in the shoulder joints rotate: it strengthens the muscles of the shoulder girdle, arms fully extended at the same time. Body weight moves from one side to another, and the housing body is rotated slightly so as to be flexible at the waist, and also to strengthen and make more flexible the lateral muscles of the body. This exercise takes about two minutes; session lasts one hour and during this time performed about 20 series of exercises.

But people with arthritis, it is not necessary to learn Tai Chi using a teach-yourself books on video and DVD-drives. Better attend group sessions, which are conducted by an experienced instructor. If a person has arthritis Arthritis - a variety of forms and complications   left knee with severe pain, he will not be able to perform some exercises, which manages the patient with mild arthritis. The duty of every instructor - to change the complexity of the exercise, make it as safe as possible and painless for everyone to do ... and to choose those exercises that take up most needed.

In addition, when there is a kind of group lessons camaraderie. Usually, people with arthritis, patients rarely "see the light", but Tai Chi classes in the group give them the knowledge that people who are in a similar situation, a lot, while tied friendships, patients support and help each other. For example, one person can make purchases, and his friend, whose state is more severe, can stay at home and cook.

How to become eight years younger

There is a legend that says that if you meditate and practice Tai Chi 100 days in a row, you can look younger by eight years.

While many movements of Tai Chi originated from martial arts, their goal is improvement. During practice improves coordination, developing the strength and ability to balance, flexibility, work of breathing, digestion, comes inner harmony and improves overall health.

Tai chi and other practices that involve a focus on its internal state, maintain muscle tone, strength and flexibility, touching and spiritual aspects such as awareness of your inner world. Man focuses on the present and abstracts from the pain.

Effects of Tai Chi can be explained logically. Particular attention is paid this practice rotational movements, turning the body in one direction and then the other, developing the muscles that are not used for walking, developing the entire muscle groups, which in ordinary life are not used. Strengthening of supporting muscles - rotating the thigh muscles - can help prevent falls.

The slow, well-controlled movements give the elderly a sense of security during lessons Tai Chi. In addition, they learn to rely on only one leg - and control the movement - that is to do what in normal life have to do very often. This is important because the older we get, the more uncertain and our movements are restricted. This leaves some of the muscles of the body without exercise. If a person is slowly strengthening your muscles and learning to keep a balance, he begins to have more confidence in myself.

What do the results of the studies

One study, published in 1997, suggests that elderly people visited fifteen sessions of Tai Chi, and practice the exercises for 15 minutes twice a day, the risk of falling is significantly reduced. After some time, it was conducted a number of studies have confirmed the positive impact of gymnastics on a physical condition of older people.

Within six months, it conducted a study that involved a group of older people who attended Tai Chi classes. Participants in the study reported that they no longer feel the stiffness in his movements and can perform daily activities that require moderate to fairly heavy load, for example, to walk, to climb up, bend over, lift weights. Study participants also reported that their quality of life generally improved: decreased pain, improved mental and physical health, there was a sense of independence.

Another study, which also involved the elderly, arthritis patients showed after 12 weeks of Tai Chi patients has become much easier to move around, and pain in the legs Pain in the legs - from which they arise?   It decreased significantly. As a result of another study we found out that people suffering from arthritis, after 12 weeks of Tai Chi, strengthens the abdominal muscles, as well as developing the ability to keep your balance.

An analysis of four trials of Tai Chi exercises showed that in rheumatoid arthritis, this practice can greatly reduce pain and symptoms of the disease. But it greatly increases the freedom of movement in the joints of the feet and ankles. It turned out that those who were the best results, most attended sessions of Tai Chi to give the practice a lot more fun than those who performed the classic exercise Myths about exercise: do not believe .

Any movement contributes to lubrication of the joints, causing movement of the synovial fluid which in turn, reduces pain. Taiji - not a panacea, but it's part of the puzzle. The advantage of a soft gymnastics Tai Chi movements, so even people with a high degree of arthritis can do it. In addition, the exercises strengthens the joints at the functional level ... and the muscles are strengthened naturally.