Starting a walking program isn’t that difficult, but there are several steps that anyone should follow before hitting the road for the first time. First, check in with a doctor or physical therapist who can assess your levels of strength, flexibility and pain. For example, a physical therapist will discuss your arthritis, evaluate your ability, and then tailor a walking program that includes pain control, explains Beth Domholdt, a physical therapist and professor at the Krannert School of Physical Therapy at the University of Indianapolis.
To minimize pain when you start walking, Shirley Archer, a health educator at Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif., emphasizes good posture: the ears, shoulders, hips and knees should be in alignment and you should use your eyes – not your neck and head – to look downward.
Once you begin a program, don’t be surprised if you ache a little at the beginning of every stroll, says Domholdt, but it should dissipate. “There’s always going to be a certain amount of discomfort, but you should not be walking with pain,” she says. “The big guideline is the two-hour rule – if there is pain or inflammation that bothers you for more than two hours after the training session ends that means you worked out too hard. Start gradually and progress slowly.”
Not convinced that walking is a breeze? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that you can still see benefits by incorporating 30 minutes worth of walking, about 3,300 steps, into your day. Try small bursts of walking that can be just as beneficial as a longer workout.
“If your goal is simply to improve your health, research substantiates as little as 30 minutes a day is sufficient activity to get health improvement, and that time can be split into three 10-minute bouts,” says Archer.
Once you start walking, program results are impressive. Researchers at Columbia University, New York, assessed the impact of an arthritis-walking program. The patients who walked during the eight-week study had a 70-meter increase in the distance they could walk in six minutes – three-quarters of the length of a football field. More importantly, test subjects reported a 27-percent decrease in pain and a drop in medication use.
“Personally, we didn’t think that the study would be more than a nice doctoral dissertation. In the end, we were surprised at how widespread and impressive the impact was,” says lead researcher John Allegrante, PhD, professor of health education at Columbia University’s Teachers College and adjunct professor, public health in sociomedical sciences. “People improved and felt better doing it.”
Sandy Lamb, a writer from Denver, began her walking program to keep herself limber and in shape after osteoarthritis made it impossible to do other exercises without hurting. She learned first hand the “wow” of walking. “Sometimes, when you’re not feeling at the top of the game, it’s hard to go out and push yourself to walk,” she says. “That’s when I use tapes or another incentive to get myself going. By the end of my three-and-a-half mile walk, I feel the pain subsiding.”
Each morning, usually before dawn, I walk the country roads of rural Iowa. These posts are what I experience, think and feel during these walks. I also provide tips for others WALKING WILD.
http://villottij.blogspot.com/
There is a lot of good information on the internet for RA, as well as vertigo. I don't know what medications you are taking, but Remicade really helped me. I have started taking walks around our neighborhood to loosen up my joints and try to walk off some of the weight I have gained. There are also lots of support groups online for various forms of arthritis. Good luck. Hope you're feeling better soon. Don't give up!
I recently purchased a pair of FItFlops and have been very impressed. They are well cushioned,firmer under heels, softer under ball of foot and toes. RA and osteo. in my feet had made walking for exercise very painful, but I walk an hour or more a day now in 4 trips outdoors of 10 t0 20 minutes each with my little dog. I just took advantage of a sale and purchased a second pair of dressier looking FitFlops - they are perfect for Hawaii, and summer in Alaska, and around the house on bare floors. I am really happy that I tried them!
from this .help me to regain my muscle strength in my legs and hands.cant turn my neck .it hurts.also has vertigo. what exercises should I need to do?
I am from India.Plese send me free arthrites information booklets to get to know more about coping with this disease.
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Silvia, I have had knee replacement surgery and Tehra's suggestion of starting with water exercises is a great one. You can walk back and forth in the water. It is easy on the joints and amazing how quickly you build strength.
Anna, my pool also has an underwater treadmill but I have never tried it since they charge quite a bit to use it. I have talked with people who have used it and they love it. They also tell me that they can get a pretty similar workout just by walking in the pool. Sounds to me like you can't go wrong. Good luck!
with the hospital wellness center. They gave me some exercises , but never mentioned walking. I started using a cane but couldn't walk very far.
Then I went to their pool. First time They just had me rock back and forth at the end of the pool. And the pain was gone that night.
But next time, I hadn't realized how far it was to get into the pool, (close to a city block)And that was way too much walking even with the cane, and I have suffered ever since.
Sent for the take control DVD and like it
BUT I can't put any weight on the left leg.
It is so WEAK. Have a walker now for outside.
There is a pool now in town with a treadmill under water and another pool where I can just hang on and rock. Which would someone suggest I try?
Don't give up hope, you can start anywhere!
Sincere thanks for any help.
Good wishes to all of you. We just do the best we can.
You can find your local chapter at www.arthritis.org/chaptermap and more info about the program at www.arthritis.org/programs.
I've been determined to walk my dogs and get in better shape myself. Although the pain was tough at first I started with short distances and now can ride my bike again. I also started Pilates which has really helped my strength. Julie, Don't say you HOPE you stick with it, be determined to!! I can attest to how much better you feel when you do this for yourself.
Madonna, please reference the "neck" stretches and exercises that were featured in the November-December 2009 issue of Arthritis Today on pages 43-44. But again, always remember to consult your physician and fitness specialists before starting a new exercise routine.
If you have more questions, feel free to e-mail the editors directly at atmail@arthritis.org.
All the best,
The Editors
Arthritis Today magazine
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