RE: Some thoughts on exercise - yikes!

[Guest guest]

I have AS and exercise so far has saved my life. Not only has exercise

stopped the progression of the decease, it has reversed it, although not back

to normal(yet). AS is different from RA, and I started exercise early in the

decease, but I cannot imagine exercise not benefiting everyone no matter what

your condition.

Bill E.

[Guest guest]

rheumatic Some thoughts on exercise - yikes!

Have any of you checked out the book Arthritis: What Exercises Work - I

recently bought this after having checked it out of the library numerous times.

It's excellent and really makes me wonder if lots of us are missing the

importance of exercise, even when you hurt. I know personally, I get very lazy

when I hurt and that is undoubtedly making my problems even worse. The book

suggests that exercise is the best way there is to relieve pain, so when we're

all looking around for the next pill to take, maybe we should be thinking of

stretching a few joints instead. (It's so easy to sit at this computer).

The book does an excellent job of diagramming the exercises as well as

taking you through different sets depending on your pain levels. So if you can

barely move, there is still hope here.

Most of this you may know, but thought I would include a few quotes: (Mike,

you don't want to read this. )

" A joint that is immobilized intitiates a series of changes that result in

total destruction of the joint within about four months. This occurs even in the

abscence of disease - by dint of immobilization alone. Adhesions begin to apear

in the joint, a strange tissue grows over the surface of the cartilage and tears

occur where tendons are inserted in bone. New planes of motion contrary to

normal anatomical planes appear, followed by enzymatic degradation of the

tissues. Ligaments become lax, losing their tensile strength. The cartilage that

caps the ends of bones, and which is normally four times more slippery than

Teflon, loses that slipperiness and becomes perforated by ulcers.

Many of the changes that occur in the joints of people with RA and OA

are assumed to be caused by a disease process, when in fact they are often a

consequence of relative immobility. These findings underscore the enormous

importance of exercise in the fight against arthritis. I always counsel my

patients to exercise to their point of tolerance.

Exercise exerts a very favorable influence on the immunological system,

affecting the production of white blood cells, lymphocytes and leukocytes, as

well as the whole spectrum of antibodies against various viruses and bacteria. A

protective agent called interferon is induced by brisk exercise. "

Another quote:

" The motion of exercise nourishes the joints: with motion, fluids are

squeezed in and out of the joint space, delivering nourishment to the cartilage,

getting rid of waste products. Without motion, this vital exchange cannot take

place. The cartilage covering the ends of the bones where they meet has no blood

supply of its own. The only way for the cartilage to take in needed nutrients

and oxygen is via the motion of the joint. "

and

" During an arthritis flare-up, you may need to curtail aerobic exercise, but

you don't have to stop exercising altogether. It isn't even advisable to do so.

Most joints, including the inflamed ones, reap benefits from moving through

their full range of motion once or twice a day. Should you find that this amount

of gentle stretching is impossible because movement hurts too much, isometric

strengthening exercises that involve not motion may still be performed to good

advantage.

If your first thought at the onset of the flare-up was of abandoning your

exercise program, we urge you to put that thought out of your mind. Concentrate

instead on how to modify your exercise program during the current crisis - with

an eye toward getting back in full swing as soon as you feel well enough to do

so. "

Mark

http://members.tripod.com/~Mark_Holmes

RA 4/98 AP 7/98

Minocycline (Lederle generic) 100mg 2x/day MWF;Methotrexate (10mg/once

weekly); folic acid (1 mg/day); Lodine 400mg 3x/day;Zone Diet;;Slippery Elm;Fish

Oil(9 caps/day);acidopholus;Milk Thistle;bromelain;glucosamine(1500mg);MSM

(2G/day)

RA Chat - http://members.tripod.com/~Mark_Holmes/RA/ra.html

ICQ 18123139

[Guest guest]

Stronger muscles support the knee and reduce the workload on the joint, fluid

and tendons.

You bet you should.

Donna

Ottawa, Canada

Scleroderma, Jan.95, AP Oct.97

(My Story)http:// www3.sympatico.ca/mousepotatoes

Re: rheumatic Some thoughts on exercise - yikes!

rheumatic Some thoughts on exercise - yikes!

Have any of you checked out the book Arthritis: What Exercises Work

- I recently bought this after having checked it out of the library numerous

times. It's excellent and really makes me wonder if lots of us are missing the

importance of exercise, even when you hurt. I know personally, I get very lazy

when I hurt and that is undoubtedly making my problems even worse. The book

suggests that exercise is the best way there is to relieve pain, so when we're

all looking around for the next pill to take, maybe we should be thinking of

stretching a few joints instead. (It's so easy to sit at this computer).

The book does an excellent job of diagramming the exercises as well

as taking you through different sets depending on your pain levels. So if you

can barely move, there is still hope here.

Most of this you may know, but thought I would include a few quotes:

(Mike, you don't want to read this. )

" A joint that is immobilized intitiates a series of changes that

result in total destruction of the joint within about four months. This occurs

even in the abscence of disease - by dint of immobilization alone. Adhesions

begin to apear in the joint, a strange tissue grows over the surface of the

cartilage and tears occur where tendons are inserted in bone. New planes of

motion contrary to normal anatomical planes appear, followed by enzymatic

degradation of the tissues. Ligaments become lax, losing their tensile strength.

The cartilage that caps the ends of bones, and which is normally four times more

slippery than Teflon, loses that slipperiness and becomes perforated by ulcers.

Many of the changes that occur in the joints of people with RA

and OA are assumed to be caused by a disease process, when in fact they are

often a consequence of relative immobility. These findings underscore the

enormous importance of exercise in the fight against arthritis. I always counsel

my patients to exercise to their point of tolerance.

Exercise exerts a very favorable influence on the immunological

system, affecting the production of white blood cells, lymphocytes and

leukocytes, as well as the whole spectrum of antibodies against various viruses

and bacteria. A protective agent called interferon is induced by brisk

exercise. "

Another quote:

" The motion of exercise nourishes the joints: with motion, fluids

are squeezed in and out of the joint space, delivering nourishment to the

cartilage, getting rid of waste products. Without motion, this vital exchange

cannot take place. The cartilage covering the ends of the bones where they meet

has no blood supply of its own. The only way for the cartilage to take in needed

nutrients and oxygen is via the motion of the joint. "

and

" During an arthritis flare-up, you may need to curtail aerobic

exercise, but you don't have to stop exercising altogether. It isn't even

advisable to do so. Most joints, including the inflamed ones, reap benefits from

moving through their full range of motion once or twice a day. Should you find

that this amount of gentle stretching is impossible because movement hurts too

much, isometric strengthening exercises that involve not motion may still be

performed to good advantage.

If your first thought at the onset of the flare-up was of abandoning

your exercise program, we urge you to put that thought out of your mind.

Concentrate instead on how to modify your exercise program during the current

crisis - with an eye toward getting back in full swing as soon as you feel well

enough to do so. "

Mark

http://members.tripod.com/~Mark_Holmes

RA 4/98 AP 7/98

Minocycline (Lederle generic) 100mg 2x/day MWF;Methotrexate

(10mg/once weekly); folic acid (1 mg/day); Lodine 400mg 3x/day;Zone

Diet;;Slippery Elm;Fish Oil(9 caps/day);acidopholus;Milk

Thistle;bromelain;glucosamine(1500mg);MSM (2G/day)

RA Chat - http://members.tripod.com/~Mark_Holmes/RA/ra.html

ICQ 18123139

[Guest guest]

Bev,

Yep, there's a whole chapter devoted to knee exercises. Like you, I often need a

chair or something to help me up (when I'm in a flare anyway and that's been

constant for about 6 months). When you're flaring, you lose a lot of muscle

strength . Here's a quote from Dr. Brown:

" If you look at the thighs of patients whose knees are inflamed with arthritis,

the muscles appear thin and wasted (exactly how mine look) and the patient has

difficulty rising from a chair or going up and down stairs. (yep) The reason for

this condition is the same in the musles and skins as in the joints: the toxic

substances generated in inflamed tissues in the knee run up the leg throught the

lymphatic system and in the process weaken the connective tissues, primarily the

collagen supporting the muscle cells. The muscle fibers themselves are not

affected, and when the knee inflammation is arrested the collagen reforms and

the muscle strength returns. (2 months ago, my flare abated for 2 weeks - my

strength returned almost immediately - so the key is to cut that inflammation)

...... The muscle fibers automatically fill out because a lot of the thinness is

due to the loss of connective tissue. "

" If the collagen weakness remains unabated, the body senses that the afflicted

tissues might lose their structural integrity, and split apart. for that reason,

nature reinforces the silk of collagen with the burlap of scar tissues,

accounting for the nodules and scarlike swellings in areas of marked

inflammation. In cases where the inflammation burns out completely, much of that

scar tissue will be absorbed and replaced once again by collagen. " (ah, hope !)

Mark

http://members.tripod.com/~Mark_Holmes

RA 4/98 AP 7/98

Minocycline (Lederle generic) 100mg 2x/day MWF;Methotrexate (10mg/once weekly);

folic acid (1 mg/day); Lodine 400mg 3x/day;Zone Diet;;Slippery Elm;Fish Oil(9

caps/day);acidopholus;Milk Thistle;bromelain;glucosamine(1500mg);MSM (2G/day)

RA Chat - http://members.tripod.com/~Mark_Holmes/RA/ra.html

ICQ 18123139

Re: rheumatic Some thoughts on exercise - yikes!

It is worth a look Mark. Thanks for posting this. The thing with the

exercises is how far to go. When I was going for physio when I was first

diagnosed, even the physiotherapist didn't know how far to push when I hurt a

little. I would be happy if I could get up from a squatting position. Drives

me crazy that I can't get up from feeding the cats or getting something under

the counter without pulling myself up with a chair. I wonder if there are any

exercises to increase knee strength or are we doing more harm than good if we

excercise our knees.

Bev

[Guest guest]

What about EMS? I do not have full extension of my legs. Due to the

deformity, I walk with my knees slightly bent. With the damage done to the

knee joints, I cannot excercise my quads properly. My muscles are thin, and

flacid. Would I benefit from the EMS?

Re: rheumatic Some thoughts on exercise - yikes!

Bev,

Yep, there's a whole chapter devoted to knee exercises. Like you, I often

need a chair or something to help me up (when I'm in a flare anyway and

that's been constant for about 6 months). When you're flaring, you lose a

lot of muscle strength . Here's a quote from Dr. Brown:

" If you look at the thighs of patients whose knees are inflamed with

arthritis, the muscles appear thin and wasted (exactly how mine look) and

the patient has difficulty rising from a chair or going up and down stairs.

(yep) The reason for this condition is the same in the musles and skins as

in the joints: the toxic substances generated in inflamed tissues in the

knee run up the leg throught the lymphatic system and in the process weaken

the connective tissues, primarily the collagen supporting the muscle cells.

The muscle fibers themselves are not affected, and when the knee

inflammation is arrested the collagen reforms and the muscle strength

returns. (2 months ago, my flare abated for 2 weeks - my strength returned

almost immediately - so the key is to cut that inflammation) ..... The

muscle fibers automatically fill out because a lot of the thinness is due to

the loss of connective tissue. "

" If the collagen weakness remains unabated, the body senses that the

afflicted tissues might lose their structural integrity, and split apart.

for that reason, nature reinforces the silk of collagen with the burlap of

scar tissues, accounting for the nodules and scarlike swellings in areas of

marked inflammation. In cases where the inflammation burns out completely,

much of that scar tissue will be absorbed and replaced once again by

collagen. " (ah, hope !)

Mark

http://members.tripod.com/~Mark_Holmes

<http://members.tripod.com/~Mark_Holmes>

RA 4/98 AP 7/98

Minocycline (Lederle generic) 100mg 2x/day MWF;Methotrexate (10mg/once

weekly); folic acid (1 mg/day); Lodine 400mg 3x/day;Zone Diet;;Slippery

Elm;Fish Oil(9 caps/day);acidopholus;Milk

Thistle;bromelain;glucosamine(1500mg);MSM (2G/day)

RA Chat - http://members.tripod.com/~Mark_Holmes/RA/ra.html

<http://members.tripod.com/~Mark_Holmes/RA/ra.html>

ICQ 18123139

Re: rheumatic Some thoughts on exercise - yikes!

It is worth a look Mark. Thanks for posting this. The thing with the

exercises is how far to go. When I was going for physio when I was first

diagnosed, even the physiotherapist didn't know how far to push when I hurt

a little. I would be happy if I could get up from a squatting position.

Drives me crazy that I can't get up from feeding the cats or getting

something under the counter without pulling myself up with a chair. I

wonder if there are any exercises to increase knee strength or are we doing

more harm than good if we excercise our knees.

Bev

[Guest guest]

Mark,

I have been fortunate enough to be able to exercise, and even when I was at

my worst I managed to do something. I have been lucky, but even if I felt

worse, I believe I would have tried to move something because I always feel

better after, and I think it has contributed to my well-being. Or I like to

think so, cause it gives me a feeling of control.

Good luck with your program!

[Guest guest]

Bev,

thanks for raising the issue of whether exercise can hurt and how far to

push. I sometimes (often LOL) try to put that out of my mind and in my

darker moments I wonder, Am I really hurting my joints and will be sorry

later. I will try to read Marks book too and maybe learn from it. I will

also ask doc on next visit and post if I can get any good info.

[Guest guest]

I have read that exercise benefits folks with RA too. From my personal

experience about two months ago I just woke up one day fed up with it

all...before having RA's symptoms of joint pain overwhelm me I used to ride

my bike to work three or four times a week...I was fed up with not being

able to get any exercise and thought I was at a point where I could ride a

bit again. Yes, I thought there would be some pain but I would deal with

it...the next day I was going to ride my bike to work even if it hurt...now

if it hurt too much I could hop on the trolley...I thought if it worked I

would try it a couple of times a week...

The next day I hopped out of bed and onto my bike...my trip to work and

back went fairly well. Yes, my feet and hands hurt a bit, and as the ride

progressed it was a little more painful. I rode to work about three times

that week. I did notice a little more pain and stiffness in my feet and

hands and an increase in my fatigue level but I felt it was relatively

minimal and I could live with it. I figured I was going to give exercise a

try.

Now, two months later I am able to ride my bike to work nearly every

day!...My fatigue level is still up a bit but the pain in my hands and feet

has actually decreased. Has it been due to the exercise alone? Probably

not but I do feel it has helped....I think it is a spoke in the wheel of my

recovery. Actually, I am sure the DMARDs I am taking have been a spoke as

well. I am aware that all the DMARDs are really doing is masking my

symptoms and fully intend to wean myself off of them as the other more

natural things I am trying begin to take effect.

I have said all of that to say this. I believe exercise is worth a try.

It was for me. One may not be able to ride a bike as I now can but there

may be some other form of exercise you can try. I personally, have always

found exercise to be a vital part of maintaining my overall health. Just

try a few things and find something which causes the least pain. Hey, I

would like to run/jog again but realize that is kind of out of the question

at present. There are a myriad of exercise machines available (i.e.

LifeCycles, Treadmills, Stair Climbers, etc. etc)..I like biking because it

gets me outside in the fresh air. Besides, Mom used to always say it was

better to kill two birds with one stone!...

Blessings and health.

Tony

> Re: rheumatic Some thoughts on exercise - yikes!

>

>

> From: Eubert@...

>

> I have AS and exercise so far has saved my life. Not only has exercise

> stopped the progression of the decease, it has reversed it,

> although not back

> to normal(yet). AS is different from RA, and I started exercise

> early in the

> decease, but I cannot imagine exercise not benefiting everyone no

> matter what

> your condition.

>

> Bill E.

>

> >