Hi,
I'm new to RA and new to this forum. RA came on suddenly & hit me like
a sledgehammer. Right now, I'm just on Naproxen & Prednisone/cortisone
injections. Everyone says that in order to control RA, you have to exercise.
How exactly do you do that? If I do anything with my hands, they swell
and I can't use them. If I do anything with my feet, my ankles swell, my
toes swell, the arches on my feet swell.
I've always been very active - did weight training for 20 years, rode bikes,
ran up to six miles a day. Now, it hurts to walk across the room. I can
deal with the pain, but how on earth do I exercise?
The answer is...very carefully. Slowly, and carefully. My hands are a big issue now so I'm getting those velcro wrist weights. I don't have to hold them but I still get some benefit from resistance work for my upper body. I've had both knees replaced and until recently had trouble doing anything but swimming. Recently I joined a gym and to my dellight I found I was able to use the stationary bike and the recumbant bike. I wouldn't dare get on a real bike but now that I can move my knees I can sit and ride even for 10 minutes or on good days 20. The water is still the best place, just walking in the pool and doing a few little stretches and bends, you don't have the weight of gravity and it makes it easier on the joints.
I've found these to be the best forms of exercise. I'm new to RA too but was diagnosed as OA about 7 years ago. RA was only diagnosed in about Nov/Dec 05. Still getting used to the idea.
Welcome to the board, you'll meet some nice people and get lots of help .
Pam
When you're in the middle of a flare, as I seem to be now, does exercisingI do not have any answers for you but I can sympathize. I have just been diagnosed with RA. Last year I did my first triathlon. I ran 5 miles regularly and lifted weights (a significant amount) three times a week.
I have not been able to run for three weeks and boy am I missing it. The pain in my ankles is intolerable and the swelling is intense if I try. I can still lift but have reduced the amount I am lifting. I can still bike and take spinning classes (if I do them every other day.)
It is distressing to me on the days I cannot exercise. I am only taking ibuprofen at the moment...I do not want anything more intensive at the moment because I do not feel I need anything. I hope to try some diet modifications.
I was wondering the same thing. I have just been told I have RA last week after my knees and ankles have swelled up to twice their normal size. I still go to work, even though I am in the middle of a flare. It hurts a lot, since my work is very physical, but I have noticed that my swelling is not going down at all. If anything, it is getting a bit worse! I have always been very active. I used to exercise five days a week cardio and weights. I miss it a lot, but have no idea if doing that during this flare will hurt me or cause more complications? I am 30, and it is hard to figure out what I can and can't do....Oddly, my RA eventually gave me an active lifestyle once I was able to stop using a cane to get around. Before that, I'd rarely do anything even remotely athletic, but now I walk everywhere I can, I sprint, and sometimes I even do a little jog. I dance and stretch, too. I don't doubt that I am causing some damage, but I seem to be hellbent on proving to myself that I don't need a cane and I won't need one again until I'm actually elderly. It's like, "Take that, RA! Mwahaha!" And then I go for a six kilometer walk in the rain.