Care for a joint

FITNESS

Arthritis and aerobics sound like mutually exclusionary words "" but they're not. An arthritic can do aerobics, and, what's more, she should. Since there is no cure for the disease, in all its various forms, medical treatment is geared to minimising the symptoms and making sure the sufferer can live a normal life for as long as possible. One of the most important ways to protect your ability to function is by exercising.

As for any of us, three types of exercise will form a complete regimen. First comes stretching and warming up, then strength training (weights, repetitions) and finally endurance training (that is, aerobics). In the case of arthritics, stretching, or range-of-motion (ROM) exercise, involves moving various joints through a range of motion, which wards off joint stiffness and deformities. ROM exercises must be done every day.

Strengthening exercises are also done daily, and involve increasing muscle strength. This makes you less prone to injury, strengthens your bones, helps support your joints and eases movement. Arthritics can do isometric exercises, in which the muscles are tensed and relaxed without moving the joints (not unlike yoga).

In endurance (cardiovascular, aerobics) exercises, done thrice a week, you move large muscles of the body rhythmically and continuously. Walking, dancing, swimming and stationary cycling are obvious options. The effect is to speed up the heart rate, which is good for your heart, improves lung capacity, and flushes the blood vessels and muscles. People with advanced rheumatoid arthritis may find this difficult.

If exercise places unbearable strain on your joints, try water exercise, usually performed in warmish water. Water is dense and buoyant, so your limbs weigh less and are easier to move through your ROM exercises, for instance.

Work on your body and it will work on your mind. Those who exercise regularly think better, sleep better, and are much less prone to anxiety and depression "" critical issues with an immobilising disease like arthritis.

For any degree of success, you must be under doctor's orders. The same exercises won't work for all, so the advice of a physical therapist is crucial. Pay attention to your body so that you know when to ease off "" such as when a joint becomes warm and inflamed. Most of all, be consistent in your exercise, build up gradually, have realistic aims, and accept a little pain for a little more gain.