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Exercise videos

Starting an exercise regime can be daunting for anyone with a condition such as RA, but exercise has many benefits and is recommended for people with all types of arthritis. Our exercise videos give you some simple exercises that you can do from home.  

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The importance of physical activity

Professor David Scott endorses the importance of physical activity

Introduction by Ailsa Bosworth, Founder & National Patient Champion: 

My name is Ailsa Bosworth, and I founded the society in 2001. I like you live with rheumatoid arthritis and was diagnosed in “1983”. At the time I was a new mum, and to very honest with you, exercise was the last thing on my mind. 

I’ve had many joint replacements and procedures since I was first diagnosed as my RA was quite aggressive, and of course, I didn’t have access to the revolutionary treatments that are available today. So for those of you who are more recently diagnosed you should be able to look forward to a relatively active and healthy life with RA, and that’s the key to not just relying on the drug therapies but also looking at what you can do for yourselves to keep active and healthy – exercise being a very key component to ensuring you get the very best out of your treatments and therapies. 

For those of you like me that have to live with the historical joint damage from our RA, you may well be thinking exercise can’t do much for me the damage is done but believe me when I say that exercise is so very important not just to reduce the risk of further joint damage but for reducing the risk of cardio vascular disease; improve muscle strength and can help to improve your mental wellbeing too. Exercise is for us all no matter at what stage of your journey with RA there is something you and I can do so let’s find out. The next few video clips will give you examples of simple and more adventurous exercises with the expert guidance of Jessica, Physiotherapist. Remember you don’t have to do everything, but you/we should be doing something. 

Please watch our demonstrations of exercises you can do below

Exercising with RA: Introduction

Getting Started

Is exercise right for me?

Wall Wash Squares

Wrist Alphabet Exercise

Exercises for Legs and Feet

Push-Ups from a chair exercise

Strengthening Exercises

Stepping exercises

Sitting to Standing Exercise

Step Up Exercise