Director's Corner  

Overcoming obstacles to exercise among people who have arthritis:

Are your knee's stiff? Do your feet hurt? Do you feel like exercise makes your knees feel worse?  

     Joint pain and stiffness make it difficult to move, and people inevitably slow down. This doesn't help arthritis sufferers. Inactivity makes muscles weak, which compounds the pain and stiffness. Inactivity in itself can result in pain and stiffness.

     Osteoarthritis is the leading cause of disability among older adults. One of two adults will have evidence of osteoarthritis by the time they are 85 years old.

     In 2008, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States released guidelines that state:

• Moderate weekly exercise should total 150 minutes
• Activity should be enough to raise the heart rate and break a sweat
• Activity should be low impact
• Activity of short duration, such as 15 minutes, is acceptable.
• Resistance training should be performed two days per week.

     Although the published guidelines stress that exercise is important, a recent survey showed that the majority of individuals with knee pain didn't believe they would benefit from exercise.

     In general people become less active over time. The symptoms of hip osteoarthritis - pain and stiffness- have an insidious onset, and it slowly becomes more difficult for people to move and engage in physical activity.

     There is now ample evidence that physical activity minimizes pain and risk of falls, as well as enabling people to get around easier.