Exercise is a must for keeping joints in good shape, but when a particular joint is affected by arthritis, you need to make some changes to your routine. Marjorie Albohm, a certified athletic trainer and director of orthopaedic research at Orthopaedics Indianapolis, has a few suggestions on activities that work best for keeping the joints in your upper body healthy. What’s more, she also has advice about upper body exercises you should avoid.
Always check with your doctor or physical therapist before starting a fitness regimen, and if a movement causes pain, stop. If you feel joint – not muscle – soreness that lasts more than two hours after your workout, your regimen needs adjusting.
Lower back
Do: Walk on a level surface or in the shallow end of the pool; swim laps using the backstroke, the sidestroke or a snorkel for freestyle swimming; ride a bike that doesn’t require you to bend over too far (try a mountain bike on level ground or a recumbent bike); yoga and Pilates; leg- and core-strengthening exercises; use elliptical machines.
Don’t: Sports such as golf or tennis that involve arching and twisting your back; high-impact activities that involve running and jumping; toe touches; straight-leg sit-ups; double leg lifts; lifting weights above your waist.
Shoulders
Do: Walk on a treadmill or in the shallow end of the pool; ride a mountain bike that keeps you upright, or cycle on a stationary bike or recumbent cycle; use elliptical machines; lower-body strengthening exercises; yoga and Pilates poses that stretch the upper body; standing wall push-ups; warm-water exercises; shoulder shrugs.
Don’t: Overhead serves in tennis or volleyball; golf; rowing or canoeing; swimming the backstroke or freestyle; lifting weights above your shoulders; some yoga poses, such as the Downward Facing Dog, that support weight on the hands, arms and shoulders.
Neck
Do: Walk on a treadmill or in the shallow end of the pool; ride a bike, or cycle on a stationary bike or recumbent cycle; swim, using the backstroke; use elliptical machines; do flexibility neck exercises (such as head turns and tilts); yoga and Pilates; tai chi; warm-water exercises.
Don’t: Overhead serves in tennis or volleyball; bikes with racing handlebars; any abdominal exercises with hands behind the head; ski machines; lifting weights above your shoulders; swimming freestyle or using the breaststroke; diving.
I believe that vigorous, even strenuous (not meaning in negative terms) exercise has been proven effective in clinical trials with most forms of auto-immune arthritis. Osteo arthritis is painful. I have that as well. Most of us do after 35-40. It can hinder us in tasks or jobs we used to perform without thinking.
In any case here, I am looking at a severe lack of body conditioning exercises in these videos. The body needs weight training to muscular fatigue to benefit from stronger bones, tendons and ligaments. I am not saying that we have to use heavy weights. The key here is form. I see no recommendations for cardiovascular training that even meets the minimum requirements/guidlines for ACSM, (American College of Sports Medicine). That is what certified personal trainers by nationally accredited associations use like myself. Have I had to stop personal training clients?
Yes. Have I stopped working out in modified formats to levels of fitness that far surpass healthy indiidualsI have rheumatoid arthritis. RSD too. Without going into depth, I see all of these questions unanswered. Why? None of these videos are exercise. They do not even fit Neanderthal levels of gathering and surviving. Hunting? We'd all be without. Get on the cardio machine that your body can tolerate. I love the back-stroke story. Go for it, Strokey! Now that is a perfect example of overcoming injury and working the body to help with pain and further injury.
If anyone who is taking ibuprofen thinks that this can be the answer to RA pain or if they think that supplements are the answer I would ask them to go get checked by a Rheumie. Core conditioning starts not only with the outer muscles of the rectus abdominus (the six pack area), the obliques, external and internal (our waistline) and erector spinae (the longitudinal back muscles) but also more important and vital to trunk stabilization and skeletal health especially with degenerative or auto immune disease are the intrinsic core muscles. They are the TA, or transverse abdominus and multifidus to name a couple. These are the most inner core muscles that brace your spine. Most people with lower back problems can not activate the TA on crunches.
The core is where we are strengthening from within. Pilates! Everyone should start with basic mat Pilates after medical clearance and a postural analysis.
Seriously, these videos are really not in the realm of what perhaps a lot of you are questioning, even then - not a challenge unless you have real serious limitations. Only - your Dr. has the duty to make the call. Only a smarter Dr. would have you work with a great physical therapist since Drs. really do not know a thing about exercise kinesiology.
Hope this Helps.
Susanne Reary - so what kind of rotator cuff exercises and physical therapy are you doing? That is the question you need to answer for yourself: are you doing anything? Guess what, I have arthritis in my left gh joint so that shoulder has some arthritis but does that stop me from push ups and does my 6 major surgeries give me an excuse not to do military push ups and advanced exercises?
Like I said, it starts with the core, and ends positively with belief even with - your little nerve damaged foot here, or your little fracture there etc. and don't we have it everywhere (?) - is no reason to stop life and go for it. Not like a walking zombie. Not like a little pool class. I am talking about looking at what REAL exercise can do for you if you have the right form.