While you may be worried about what the various factors are that cause knee arthritis, it may come as a complete surprise to you to learn that running is not a main risk factor in spite of the fact that medical opinion on the subject is almost evenly divided between those who think it does affect your knee arthritis and those who think it does not. Furthermore, there are even some studies that suggest that if a person keeps his or her mileage to below thirty miles, then the risk of contracting knee arthritis is not very high.
Elliptical Trainer
Such studies obviously raise the question as to what are the best exercises to treat knee arthritis, are, and in this regard aerobic exercises could play an important role for treating the condition. It would thus be wise for a patient of knee arthritis to include aerobics, and also use strengthening and stretching in a complete exercise program to get best results. You could also choose an elliptical trainer for your knee arthritis and they are generally available in fitness clubs and also can be purchased for home use.
The advantage to using an elliptical trainer for your knee arthritis is that it allows you to move in a way that lies in between the movement of a bike and that of a stairclimber. You can keep your feet on the pedals while you get a smooth elliptical motion that does not involve any impact, which results in better cardiovascular workout as well as a low-impact workout.
If you like the water, then you can choose to swim in order to improve your knee arthritis, as this exercise too will give you a good cardiovascular workout and it is also not an impact activity. However, it may not be very suitable if you have a shoulder problem as certain strokes could lead to aggravating your shoulder problem even more. Nevertheless, for knee arthritis it makes for an excellent choice and you should go ahead and swim without fear of any repercussions.
You might even consider using a stationary bike that is ideal for aerobic conditioning and it is yet another non-impact activity, though for your knee arthritis condition, you should ensure that the tension is very low and you must start off very slowly to prevent the risk of worsening your knee condition. You can also use it for quad strengthening as well as for stretching the hamstring.
If you have a bad case of knee arthritis you should never use a treadmill, even if you have a light case of it your knee would not do well using this type of equipment, this is a very high impact type of an exercise for someone with knee arthritis and can only make your condition deteriorate. You should be able to deal with your arthritis issue as long as you remember these exercises and also keeping in mind the other activities.