When did you start jogging/running? And how do you deal with joint pain?

I have both OA and PsA. I started running by doing C25K when I weighed around 165 pounds. I'm short, so I was still overweight.

I had a very solid base of walking ... a lot of walking... before I started running.

I have found that researching form and paying attention to it helps with the joint pain. The advice to go slow as well as to rest and take your time to build endurance before you ever, ever worry about speed is spot on. I now run almost daily without issue.

FTR, your problem areas are my problem areas too.

Also? The importance of being properly fitted for good running shoes cannot be overstated. I did find that as I lost weight, my feet hurt less and less, but they still act up. Good shoes really help in this respect, as does having proper foot strike.

how active is your ra? mine seems to be dormant and i lift weights and cycle. but i've never yet found a way i could run and i definitely don't think i'd be doing the lifting either if it got active again.

'arthritis' can mean anything from the kind of luck that i've had so far to far more serious situations. what i was told was that permanent deformity partly comes from stressing the connective tissue around joints while it's already weaker and under strain from the inflammation.

so i hate to be a drag, but 'ask your rheumatologist' probably is the best path. even better, if you've got access to any kind of 'team' that are r.a. aware, ask your physio or even occupational therapist first. [if you're in canada, five bucks right here says they'll try to get you into a swimming pool *big eyeroll*]

the other thing to watch for with r.a. is fatigue. i hope you do find something that works well for you, but i can't help playing the doom-and-gloom thing and saying 'don't mess with fatigue!' if it's one of the ways it hits you. gl.

Mary_Anastasia wrote: »

Hi, I would like to get to the point of being a jogger. I do 5ks, but I walk most of it, maybe jog 1/4 of it Were you a particular size or weight when you were comfortable enough to start to try jogging? Did you work up to it by just starting to jog a little more with each walk?

Bonus question: I have OA *and* RA, in my feet, both knees, and both hips: does anyone have tips for this aspect?

Thanks!

Google couch to 5K and utilize the program, it really works. I am currently somewhere between 230-235 lbs. About 5 years ago I was 308 lbs. The only exercise that I could do comfortably until I got down to about 240 was walking. I was 240 when I started the C25K program 2 months ago. I just ran my first 5K this past sunday and did so in 35 minutes and didn't stop to walk at all. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to do that when I started the program but like I said, it works. It's a lot of interval training for the first several weeks so you should be fine.

As far as knee pain, I only experienced it mildly until later in the program when I felt the pressure of the race coming up and went off of the program and over trained. I ended up alternating extremely hot and ice cold baths for the pain which helped. I had some pain while I was running the race, and for a day or two afterwards but nothing major. I assume and hope as I continue to lose weight the knee pain will no longer be an issue but at the end of the day it wasn't anything I couldn't battle through.

You can definitely do it though. Going back to my younger days when I was in great shape and an athlete I still didn't do a lot of running, I just didn't like it. I am getting over that hump though and after I take this week off I am going right back after it because I figure if I could surprise myself and run an entire 5K, maybe I can surprise myself and run an entire 5K in under 30 minutes next.

Try to strike the ground more- so towards the front, outer part of your foot, so the calves absorb more impact. Also, take a glucosamine chondroitin with msm supplement for your joints. Turmeric combined with pepper reduces inflammation.

not to take anything from the 'healthy' people who used c25k and had it work for them even though they were untrained when they started out. but pre-existing joint damage and inflammation that originates in a person's own immune system independently of any or all types of activity . . . these are a different beast.

just sayin'. it doesn't mean the op can't do it or won't be fine. but 'i did it, you can as well!' doesn't always translate well across the immune-system divide.