Arthritis and exercise

thomakg

Is anyone out there struggling with maintaining a good level of exercise and failing because of severe osteo or rheumatoid arthritis? My lower back is beyond redemption, and I am working on pain reduction and core strengthening, and I am able to walk (as long as I stop and stretch every km or so) and I can do some other machine cardio. I suffer a lot on off days and at night. Due to the arthritis in the shoulders and a tear, I can't do much swimming.. I can lift some weights, but only in limited ways. Any ideas? I'm not too overweight right now, but getting older and losing muscle tone all the time.

ashenriver

Try low impact activities like tai chi. Go to the pool even if you cannot swim laps. One pool I go to actually has walking lanes. If its possible see a physiotherapist for some good exercises.

I spoke to someone who has suffered from RA since childhood and she said that she realized she needed to use it or lose it.
There was a time that she let the pain stop her from doing a lot and lost a lot of mobility. Then when she had to do a lot of physical activity and had to push through the pain, afterwards she noticed an improvement.

My mom has RA and I have seen how deteriorating it is. It is a main reason why I am trying to get fitter now so when (if) I get diagnosed I will be in a better spot.

Keep pushing