Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and can affect any joint in the body, but it commonly impacts the weight-bearing joints of the knees and hips. Although there’s no cure yet for #osteoarthritis, physical activity and exercise play a key role in the management of OA.

In this conversation with Gráinne O’Leary, CEO of Arthritis Ireland, Andy Dunne, clinical exercise specialist, looks at the benefits of physical activity and exercise for people with osteoarthritis. He offers advice on how to get started with physical activity and how to stay motivated. He also discusses balancing pain and exercise. Andy Dunne is a chartered physiotherapist and owner of Personal Health, a lifestyle healthcare company in Dublin.

This video includes three short demonstrations of physical activity exercises:

Exercise 1: Sit to stand (basic)

• High tempo on ‘stand up’ phase

• Think ‘nose over toes’

• Slow tempo (approx 4 seconds) on sit down phase

• Also think ‘nose over toes’

Exercise 2: Kneel to stand (moderate)

• Lean forward facing chair seat and maintain hand contact with chair

• Split stance and ‘genuflect’ by bending the hind knee slowly towards the floor

• Breathe and remain calm in kneeling position

• Raise one leg out to side and elevate through a mixture of arms and leg usage

Exercise 3: Hip 90/90 (advanced)

• Once safely seated on floor, use your hands for support

• Rotate from side to side targeting rotation of the hips on each side

• Each hip and knee will have a 90-degree bend in the most desired outcome, but no problem doing a modified version of this also.

This video is part of the #BePrOActive awareness campaign about osteoarthritis.

For further information, visit https://www.arthritisireland.ie/beproactive

BePrOActive is supported by Pfizer, Grünenthal, the Sports Surgery Clinic and Flexiseq.