Exercises - Arthritis Action

Exercises

This page contains exercises you can try in a chair at your own home, which have been designed in collaboration with wellbeing organisation Oomph!, as part of a programme developed to encourage people with arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions to become more active.

The below activities are intended to be gentle and should be practised at a comfortable pace. However, if you have any concerns about whether they are suitable for you, please consult a healthcare professional before taking part.

Learn more about the importance of exercise if you live with arthritis by visiting our Exercise and Arthritis page.

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Featured Exercises

GIF of a woman sat in a chair, performing a seated spinal twist by turning her upper body to one side with one arm extended behind, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Limber Up

This exercise is great for spine and shoulder mobility!

Instructions: Within comfortable limits, reach towards your opposite thigh with one hand, while gently reaching to the side and beside you with the other arm. Alternate both sides for 1-2 minutes.

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Featured Exercises

GIF of a woman sat in a chair, performing side steps, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Hip Mobility

This exercise is great for increasing your hip mobility.

Instructions: Within comfortable limits, reach your foot outwards from your midline and back to the middle. Alternate on both sides for 1-2 minutes.

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Featured Exercises

GIF of a woman sat in a chair, performing knee extensions by kicking her leg outwards, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Knee Strength

This exercises helps you build knee stability.

Instructions: Within comfortable limits, straighten your knee to your front and place your foot back onto the floor, while you alternate on each side, for 1-2 minutes.

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Featured Exercises

GIF of a woman sat in a chair, placing a band below her knees and stretching one leg either side, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Hip Clam SEATED

This exercise helps you with hip stability.

Instructions: Using a band, alternate lateral movements of the thigh. Repeat on the other side.

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Featured Exercises

GIF of a woman sat in a chair, sitting and standing continuously, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Sit to Stand

This exercise is great for improving your hip, knee and core stability.

Instructions: Within comfortable limits and using your hands to push upwards, stand up from your chair and try to sit down in a controlled manner. Repeat for 1 minute and make a note of how many times you do it.

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Choose a few of the activities shown to help you get more mobile – these are ideal if you are self-isolating or spending a lot of time indoors.

You might choose two or three activities from a specific body area, or try a selection. Regular exercise is essential as it helps to strengthen the muscles that protect and support the joints. Exercise has even been proven to help reduce the pain of arthritis and improve function. Try keeping an activity diary to understand what works well for you.

  • All
  • Feet
  • Hands
  • Hips
  • Knees
  • Mobility
  • Spine
GIF of a woman sat in a chair, performing shoulder rolls, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Shoulder Roll

This exercise helps you with upper spinal and shoulder mobility.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, lifting her knee up and then kicking, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Knee lift push

This exercise helps you build knee stability. Instructions: Alternate sides as you lift thigh, and straighten knee.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, performing the pendulum exercise by keeping her knees together and moving her legs from side to side, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Pendulum

This exercise helps you with hip mobility. Instructions: Alternate pendulum exercise, on both sides.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, stretching her legs outward and tapping her toes on the floor, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Diagonal toe tap

This exercise helps you with hip mobility. Instructions: Reach out diagonally and point the toe. Repeat on other side.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, sitting and standing continuously, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Sit to Stand Using Arms

This exercise is great for improving your hip, knee and core stability!

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, performing cossacks by kicking her leg outwards and hitting her heel on the floor, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Cossack

This exercise is great for improving your hip, knee and core stability!

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, performing a jogging motion, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Walk / jog

This exercise helps you build knee stability and mobility.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, performing knee extensions by kicking her leg outwards, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Knee extension seated

This exercise helps you build knee stability.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, performing high knees with the opposite arm and leg, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

High knees

This exercise helps you build knee stability.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, performing under calf squeezes by placing a ball behind her knee and moving her leg backwards, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Under calf squeeze

This exercise helps you build knee stability.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, performing side passes as if kicking a ball, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Side passes

This exercise helps you build knee stability.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, performing a pedalling motion with each leg, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Seated Cycling

This exercise helps you build knee stability and mobility.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, performing a seated spinal twist by turning her upper body to one side with one arm extended behind, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Limbering up

This exercise helps you with general spinal mobility.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, alternating extending each arm in front of her, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Time to serve

This exercise helps you with general spinal mobility.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, with her palms facing up and moving them up and side to side, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Dig

This exercise helps you with general spinal and shoulder mobility.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, performing a double reach through by straightening one arm and using the other arm to reach above and below, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Double reach through

This exercise helps you with general spinal and shoulder mobility.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, performing a side reach and pull, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Side reach and pull

This exercise helps you with general spinal and shoulder mobility.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, stretching from side to side with one arm nearly touching the floor with the other arm above her, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Buttercup stretch

This exercise helps you with general spinal and shoulder mobility.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, holding one side of the chair and performing a spinal twist by turning her upper body to one side, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Chair pull with body rotation

This exercise helps you with  general spinal mobility.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, extending her arms from the side to the middle then doing a namaste motion, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Namaste

This exercise helps you with general spinal mobility.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, doing a rowing motion, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Rowing

This exercise helps you with  general spinal mobility.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, performing ball stomps where she place the ball under her foot and pushes down on it, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Ball stomps

This exercise helps you with lower spinal mobility.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, performing a stretch by holding one side of the chair and stretching to the opposite side, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Hold side stretch

This exercise helps you with general  spinal mobility.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, performing a cat stretch, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Cat stretch

This exercise helps you with upper spinal mobility.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, performing a noodle figure 8, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Noodle Figure of 8

This exercise helps you with general spinal mobility.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, performing a noodle row, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Noodle Row

This exercise helps you with general spinal mobility.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, performing knee lifts with her hand holding the chair arm rests, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Knee Lifts

This exercise helps you with hip, knee and core mobility and stability.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, performing side steps, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Side step

This exercise helps you with hip mobility.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, performing a jogging motion but raising her knees higher than a normal jog, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

High knees walking

This exercise helps you with hip, knee and core mobility and stability.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, raising her knees and touching it with the elbow of the opposite arm, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Elbow to knee

This exercise helps you with hip and spine mobility.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, performing a cross crawl by raising the opposite knee and arm at the same time, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Cross craw

This exercise helps you with hip and spine mobility.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, performing a hip opener by placing one foot on top of the other and pushing down on her knee, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Hip opener

This exercise helps you with hip mobility.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, placing a band around her lower leg and stretching one leg either side, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Bands – clams

This exercise helps you with hip stability.

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GIF of a woman sat in a chair, placing a ball between her knees and performing a squeezing motion, wearing a blue ‘Oomph!’ t-shirt.

Leg squeeze

This exercise helps you with hip stability.

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Balance Exercises

Exercises to help improve your balance.

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Foot and ankle strength exercises

Exercises to help you build on your foot and ankle strength.

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Foot and ankle mobility exercises

Exercises to help you mobilise your feet and ankles.

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Hand strength exercises

Exercises to help you improve your grip strength.

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Hand mobility exercises

Hand mobility exercises for people with arthritis.

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Neck mobility exercises

Exercises to reduce neck stiffness.

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Shoulder exercises

Exercises to increase shoulder mobility.

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Keeping active with arthritis

Advice and exercises on how to stay physically active with arthritis.

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