Our joints are involved in almost everything we do. They’re always there, silently working, without question or complaint…until one day they can’t. And when that happens, it’s never physically or mentally easy. Of all medical conditions, joint health has shown one of the highest correlations with mental health: ask anyone who has finished an online masters in counseling psychology program and they’ll tell you that as many as one in five people suffering from joint issues also experience symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Connect the Dots

It shouldn’t be a mystery. We rely on our joints for our every movement. Even when we’re lying still, our joints are still supporting our spine and neck. Joint pain can cause fatigue and irritability, and impede our ability to focus, largely because when we have pain in our joints, it’s there constantly.

But it’s not just the pain, either. Joint conditions that become more severe, like rheumatoid arthritis or gout, can not only cause pain but also reduce our ability to function normally. Patients suffering from these conditions in their feet, knees, or hips can be left without the ability to walk or even stand or sit. This leads to an inability to function normally, which can cause major issues with self-esteem, feelings of hopelessness, and worthlessness, as well as knock-on side effects like weight gain and muscle degeneration. Pain in any part of the body can also disrupt sleep, and people who experience prolonged sleep deprivation are more likely to experience symptoms of anxiety and depression.

One Way or Another

But this connection doesn’t only go one way – indeed, it can quickly become a vicious cycle.  Depression and anxiety often lead to symptoms that make the symptoms of joint conditions even worse. A common symptom of both depression and anxiety is a lowering of the patient’s pain threshold and ability to tolerate pain, leaving them even more vulnerable to symptoms that may already be causing them extreme distress. 

Some studies also indicate that people suffering from depression experience higher levels of inflammation in the body and the conditions that cause joint pain are often conditions that cause excessive inflammation in the joints. This, along with the lower activity levels of people experiencing symptoms of depression, can create a negative feedback loop in which joint pain creates depression, which worsens pain and reduces activity, which increases joint pain, which worsens depression, and on and on. This brutal state of affairs can be difficult to endure.

Bouncing Back

Luckily, neither of these problems is untreatable. While anaerobic exercise, a common and very successful treatment for depression and anxiety, may seem out of reach for many patients suffering from advanced rheumatoid arthritis, gout, or other severe joint conditions, there are low-impact options that can be just as effective as running or lifting weights, if not more so. Swimming has been shown in multiple studies to be equally effective at treating symptoms of depression and anxiety when compared to running, with the added benefits of working out the entire body, whereas running primarily benefits leg muscles. Swimming has also been shown to help manage stress and improve sleep more than running, two crucial benefits that those suffering from joint conditions might need even more than most of us.

Rowing is another low-impact option for cardio that can have both physical and mental benefits comparable to those of running and other anaerobic exercises. Demonstrating yet again that the benefits of treating depression and anxiety apply throughout all forms of cardio, rowing, like swimming, comes with the additional advantage of providing a full body workout. Unlike running, rowing provides an extremely low-impact, highly rhythmic experience, which has been shown to help combat stress and can even help fitness-seeking sufferers of joint conditions practice meditation or mindfulness. The repetitive, symmetrical motion inherent in rowing can force the mind to enter into a meditative state, forcing it to focus on fully coordinating the body, thereby quieting the mind and reducing the repetitive thoughts characteristic of severe depression and anxiety.

For those unable to partake in these exercises, meditation alone can provide enormous benefits to people suffering from chronic pain, without the potential complications for joints that come with any form of vigorous exercise. Meditation has been clinically demonstrated to reduce stress and increase pain tolerance in patients experiencing many forms of chronic pain. There are many different types of meditation, too. Many pain patients prefer meditations guided by a professional, allowing them to learn from someone competent and not worry about their techniques. Others prefer solo meditations, which vary from visualization and scanning techniques to traditional Buddhist or Hindu methods, like mindful meditation or breath of fire yoga, both of which have the potential to calm the mind. Some studies have even shown that regular meditation can help reduce inflammation and improve the activity of the nervous system, both of which can aid in recovery from conditions that affect the joints.

Even though joint conditions can dramatically change one’s life, they don’t have to ruin it. With regular treatment from a licensed doctor, visits to specialists like rheumatologists and osteopaths, and careful, deliberate practice of the exercises and habits they recommend, the chronic pain associated with these conditions can often be manageable.

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