I have heard that exercise can be helpful for RA pain management and wondered how to help her incorporate adequate exercise. She is 29 yrs old - mother of 2 young kids.
Q: A family member was recently diagnosed with RA. Is soft rebounder exercise helpful for RA sufferers?
Answers (2)
4/25/09 12:51pm
Rebounders can be helpful, but it really depends on such things as, the severity of her RA, which joints are affected and how much pain and tenderness is in the weight bearing joints. If the rebounder has a support bar, that is best, because with pain, comes balance issues and losing one's balance could create an injury in addition to the RA. The absolute BEST excercise for RA, especially in a flare, is ROM (range of motion) excersizes and walking in a pool. But until the meds are right, even that can be absolutely overwhelming. (Think: packing a gym bag, changing in an uncomfortable locker room, trying to peel off a wet swimsuit with painful hands, trying to get dressed when you are exausted from the workout. Trying to hook your bra, etc...). Whichever form of excercize she does decide to try, she should be encouraged to take her pain meds BEFORE she even does her warm-up.
4/24/09 10:28pm
I'm 31 and a mother of two toddlers. I think I get plenty of exercise just keeping my house running!
No, honestly, if a family member brought me a list of exercises I would feel a toss-up of "EXERCISE?!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!!" and "Awww.. that's nice they are trying to help. I do feel confused about how I'll possibly be able to keep in shape. But, I'm feeling a little too overwhelmed to tackle that right now."
My kids are my priority and just keeping food on the table and faces wiped is a little too much for me somedays. Keep in mind that RA is a big fatigue-inducing bully! A good example of how we feel is in Sara Nash's comic strips. They are located on this site. I think she was going to be a yoga instructor or something similar when RA smacked her in the face. Your family member's Rheumy might could direct her to a good PT or tell her what has been manageable for other patients of his. But really, until the RA is under control exercises might be on the back burner.
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By Yodamom— Last Modified: 12/19/10, First Published: 04/24/09
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