Any Members with Arthritis???

kaydensmom12

We all know that exercising is an important part of any type of weight loss success. I'm 21 with arthritis which makes exercising discouraging and sometimes nearly impossible. My arthritis is very painful in both knees, especially during cold weather this time of year. Well it makes it difficult to find any type of exercise that doesn't cause excessive pain or swelling. Jogging, the mountain climber exercise and lunges are out. I have been doing the stationary bike and some sit-ups but would like to mix it up. I understand most exercises will cause some pain, but looking for motivation and advice on exercises others have had success with. Thanks:)

loriamcq

I dont have arthritis but my daughter in law does (she's 29 and has rheumatoid arthritis). She works out everyday. She says it's when she stops working out that the pain is worse. And I dont know if this really works, but she gets Juvederm injections in her lips and she says that has totally taken away the pain in her hands. She really just has pain in the fingers and toes, but according to her working out daily helps.

tambink

I have arthritis and it is in my knees and hands and all over but I work all the time it actully hurts less when I workout then when I dont.

2011_4mygirls

Yes, I have arthritis in my left knee and my neck. I have found that it is worse when the weather is chaning to damp or cold. I love to do water aerobics b/c there is no impact on my knee and it gives me great relief in my neck. I also ride a recumbent style bike, b/c it has less impact on my knee as well. Do you take a daily med? If not, I strongly suggest you visit with your dr about one.

merrick7871

I have fibro, which exercise helps greatly. But, there are times like right now, that I am i a flare up and exercise is non existent. I firmly believe that what caused this flare up was being so busy the couple of days before Christmas that I was unable to exercise. Now I am pretty much confined to my chair because it hurts so much to do anything else.

UsedToBeHusky

I am 33 years old and I have had osteoarthritis since 27. Honestly, I think I have had it my whole life, but I injured myself at 27 and the symptoms seem to worsen from there. I did a lot of yoga initially and I also used physical games like Wii boxing and tennis. After I lost 30 to 35 lbs, walking became easier so I began to do that. I use an elliptical and a gazelle glider at home. The elliptical was hard on my knees at first, but I adjusted. I don't have access to a pool but swimming and water aerobics would probably cause the least amount of damage to your joints. Best of luck and remember to keep moving. The more we move, the better our joints feel. Just don't overdo it!

Anita1271

I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and work out regulary. When I first started working out, there were days I was in alot of pain & I thought doing lunges & squats were going to be out of the question, but I can do them with no problem or pain, as long as I keep proper form. You will find too, that when you do work out regulary the pain won't be so bad, so hang in there! If you would like friend me and we can motivate each other :flowerforyou:

SeaSiren1

I dont have arthritis but my daughter in law does (she's 29 and has rheumatoid arthritis). She works out everyday. She says it's when she stops working out that the pain is worse.

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I have fibro, which exercise helps greatly. But, there are times like right now, that I am i a flare up and exercise is non existent. I firmly believe that what caused this flare up was being so busy the couple of days before Christmas that I was unable to exercise. Now I am pretty much confined to my chair because it hurts so much to do anything else.

I have fibro as well, the day just before Christmas I was slammed hard with a flare and am still trying to recover.

TRIMoses59

I have arthritis in my spine, knees, well lets just say almost everywhere. I started walking at 1 mile the boosted it up 1/2 mile at a time. My joints seem to move better now! Oh yes it hurt and sometimes it feels like my spine is breaking in two, but if it is pretty enough to walk, I walk. Start out slow and build a little each week. It will make you feel better!

kaydensmom12

Thank you for all of your helpful replies. Unfortunately I do not have access to water aerobics, but it seems like it would be the ideal workout that is easy on the joints. I am thinking about trying the elliptical. You all have good advice. It is nice to hear others with similar problems so thank you for the motivation, I will start out exercising slowly:) I hope those of you with flare ups recover well.

sandiki

rheumatoid arthritis here... I find I am better after i get ta moving.. Yoga had helped a great deal as well.

cPT_Helice

I have fibro and also arthritis in both knees. If I stop working out, I am in a lot of pain. I take Osteo bi Flex and found it works wonders for me (nice and cheap at Walmart). There is nothing that I allow to limit my activity. I am a Personal Trainer, Spin Instructor and and currently training for my first half marathon. My friends who have fibro and/or arthritis who workout regularly lead very active lives with very little pain. Those of my friends who have these conditions and don't workout live each day as a constant struggle and with ongoing pain.
I'm not suggesting everyone do what I do. But, definitely keep moving. Pool walking/joggin is a nice low impact workout that also massages your muscles while you are working out.

PepeGreggerton

I have fibromyalgia.

LeanMeanFitnessMachine

Get in the water! Swimming and water aerobics are great for arthritis because it takes the pressure and stress off the joints (zero gravity effect). Many gyms with pools, such as the YMCA, also offer water aerobics classes targeted specifically for arthritis problems.

EDesq

We all know that exercising is an important part of any type of weight loss success. I'm 21 with arthritis which makes exercising discouraging and sometimes nearly impossible. My arthritis is very painful in both knees, especially during cold weather this time of year. Well it makes it difficult to find any type of exercise that doesn't cause excessive pain or swelling. Jogging, the mountain climber exercise and lunges are out. I have been doing the stationary bike and some sit-ups but would like to mix it up. I understand most exercises will cause some pain, but looking for motivation and advice on exercises others have had success with. Thanks:)

I recommend Pilates, Stretching, Water Aerobics, and Simple Calisthenics. This extreme stuff is for the "birds" even if you don't have arthritis; also the way I got My arthritis was from RUNNING. Don't be fooled, all exercise routines are NOT healthy, and that's what we should be in this for HEALTHY. It took Me harming Myself through excessive and unhealthy exercise to learn this.

MissingPixies

I'm 23 and I have arthritis in my wrists, knees, and hips. It is more painful in the winter for my wrists and hips, but as a previous poster said... Start out slow and it will get better/easier. Some days I can't even do any hand exercises, like push-ups, weight lifting, etc... and when I walk my hips start to be real painful after about a mile into my walk (when this happens I just take a quick break and move slower). I can't even jog/run in the summer time because with the heat my knees get all swollen and painful, so I try to jog/run during the winter or when it is cooler (it's less painful this way).

AyokaMunoz

Hi --I have fbromyalgia which is a bear and acts up in the cold too. I find that the warmer my environment is, the easier it is to reciver from the flareups and manage the pain. So before working out, I make sure I am very warm, whether this is with a hot shower or with many layers of clothing and the thermoeter turned up. After working out, i keep moving for as long as possible. This has helped to eliminate the "day after" pain that most arthritis and fibro patients are familar with. The key is to never let yourself get cold, to elimiate as much acidic food i your diet as possible, and to help balance your body with alkaline foods (alkaline water, cauliflower magnesium, etc.). The excercises I work on specifically target pain areas such as knees, shoulders, hips, and back because strengthening these areas will reduce deterioration of the joints and result in less pain over time. I hope ome of the advice helps! Take good care!

fitzie63

EXERCISE in WATER... find your nearest indoor pool facility and see how their scheduling might work for you. When you exercise in water, you not only will feel less (if any) pain during the activity, you are not likely to feel it the next day either.

gingerb85

I have arthritis in my knees and back. I do like swimming and doing aqua Zumba, but most of the time I just take ibuprofen and push through. I am sensitive to what my body can take, though. I prefer our gym's elliptical bike to the elliptical machine or treadmill - that seems to be easier on my knees even though it is a lot of knee bending. For some reason, my knees like it better than the treadmill. I can do regular Zumba and usually am fine with that. Sometimes my knees will hurt from the beginning of the class and I skip the other two classes after Zumba (I'll try to do three classes on Tuesdays if my knees let me - Zumba, a weight class, and a high intensity class that I do modify for my knees.)

FriendsR4EverTreasures

It hasn't been diagnosed, but I think I do. My mother has rhumatoid arthritis and takes a lot of meds for it. The reason I think I do is because I have all the symptoms of swelling, pain, heat around the joints, etc. However, I feel the best when I exercise and the last couple of times I have done lunges (400 this last time), I have been happy to say that I have not really had any pain!! Well....except discomfort in the right places.....butt, legs, and hamstrings! That's good pain! My weekly leg workout is 400 lunges, 125 squats, and 125 deadlifts.

MostlyWater

I had a gout attack in the summer (gout is a type of arthritis). The dr said that I do not actually have gout but the blood work showed that I have a high amount inflammation .

I sort of act like I have gout and I still have fluid in one foot from the attack. I do pretty much everything in the gym that I always did, but sometimes it hurts. The dr said that if the pain gets really bad, he'll have to put me on medication. No idea what that will be liked.