Exercising with arthritis

poole8686

Hello - was hoping to find a group who struggle with painful joints but still like to workout. There must be strategies for building strength while reducing pain in joints. The arthritis foundation has programs for folks in retirement homes but nothing much else. I’m in my fifties and my kids have just started college so I’m still very active. The arthritis slows down my workouts, the pain often prompts me to snack on the wrong foods. Together, arthritis and pain aren’t helping my weight loss! It can be very discouraging. But I’m very excited about MyFitnessPal and am finally putting my weight loss first above all the other demands in my life. BTW I have osteoarthritis in my foot, knees, hips and hands but am determined to loose the weight. Anyone else in this boat?

Evamutt

I have arthritis in my old injury leg, both hands, wrists & right arm. Don't know what kind but I'm ok as long as I work out & build up the muscles around them. What helps me a great deal is taking glucosamine & turmeric

GaleHawkins

@poole8686 I have what is called Ankylosing Spondylitis with more or less arthritis from head to toe and the kids are in college also but I am 67. When losing my mobility battle that started when in high school I decided to cut out foods with added sugar and or any form of grain hoping for pain management Oct 2014. I mainly used coconut to make up the lost carbs which I now know is a Low Carb High Fat WOE (Way Of Eating).

In 30 days pain manage was under way and 4 years later I have next to no pain compared to the last 40 years.

The WOE is not desired by the masses and I only mention it because this current WOE is fixing me or making me better head to toe after 40 years of getting worse year by year. You need the WOE at works best for your body.

Since I was at the point I had to have help getting in and out of vehicles and even getting dressed I knew I had to act fast. I had even secured a power chair that I used at theme parks etc. I used the ones provided at WM, Krogers, etc because walking more that 100 feet required rest stops.

Now I can walk fast as far as I wish. I do some range of motion stuff in the house but at first I struggled with any exercising because my muscles had mostly wasted away over the last 40 years.

While I take no Rx Meds and no longer have any health issues being actively followed my MD that I see annually for labs like @Evamutt I do take supplements. I have been on fish oil for the past 22 years in a heavy way most of the time.

I still walk a quarter of a mile daily for me and the dogs beg to go as well. I restored a 1966 Ford 3000 tractor last year and gave it to the daughter since she has mini horses. She is pulling a small float with it this weekend in the Murray State Homecoming Parade. This summer I have when working to restore a 1948 Model B Allis Chalmers tractor bought with a blown engine like I played on when I was 3 and started driving when I was 5. I am trying to get it ready and drive it in the local Veterans Day Parade. This kind of thing did not happen until after I changed my Way Of Eating.

Hope springs eternally as I see it as long as we work to improve our health at any point in life. You are on a good track because I have learned so much from others on MFP about my WOE and how to do it over the past 4 years. I expect you will find a WOE that works for you too. While weight loss was not a goal of mind but just staying alive I am down 50 pounds from back in mid 2014 and have maintained that loss for the past 3 years without ever going hungry one day.

Again best of success in finding the info you need. There is no magic and no secrets but just a lot of learning that has to be put into place.

roughwaterexpress

poole8686, I am in a similar situation. Was overweight to start with. Spent 6 months caring for my dog who had cancer and gained 20 pounds. Started running again after she passed and immediately tore my meniscus. Spent 6 months limping around waiting for insurance issues to clear and gained another 10 pounds. Finally had surgery to fix the meniscus and began PT, but have arthritis in that knee after the surgery (and probably the other one too, based on symptoms.) Found myself feeling doomed to be unable to exercise or even keep up with the usual chores that I do, and then I tried swimming. It has helped tremendously, I still have some discomfort, but am able to walk without limping most of the time. I do water walking against the current (our rec center includes a lazy river) and then swim laps, followed by a few minute in the hot pool. It worked so well I decided to add turmeric and glucosamine supplements. Not sure yet whether they are helping, but it's only been a week or so. I'm encouraged enough to have signed up for a course with a nutritionist, which starts next week. For the first time in about 14 months I am feeling optimistic about returning to normal activities with little pain (or maybe eventually none.)

I'm hoping that the combination of exercise and better nutrition will get my weight off, which will help the arthritis. Win/win if I do it... pretty good motivation. Swimming may not be exactly the right solution for you, but might be worth a try. Don't give up! If you find the right combination, you can experience improvement.

I also find that having someone to hold me accountable for meeting goals like MFP, and now a nutritionist, are good motivators. Good luck and don't give up.

cowsanddogsarecute

I'm 34 and have osteoarthritis in my knees. I do a lot of walking which is nice but struggle to do other stuff as it starts causing lots of pain. Swimming might be an option for you? Here if you want to chat.

snowflake954

I'm 63 and have OA. I've had it for a long time and it just got progressively worse even though I've been swimming +acquagym for 23 yrs. 5 yrs ago I joined MFP. Reading all the information on here got me trying new things. I had had a hard time going down stairs and even though I'm active I was getting worried. So I now swim + acquagym 3 x a week, gym 1x a week, Yogaflex 1x a week, stretching 3x a week, plus the usual walking I've always done. My life has changed. I can now skip down stairs and my arthritis is much better. I started planking 2 min, doing squats and yoga. This has all helped. I also take the usual supplements. So, losing weight is important, but being active is important, and trying new things. Good luck.