Exercise class benefits arthritis

Exercise class benefits arthritis weighs the effect of movement on degenerative and inflammatory joint disease.

Written by Dr. Barrie Lewis, DC

Peter Oesch, the Swiss chairman of the allied European health professionals against rheumatism commented on two reports considering the benefits of structured exercise programmes in patients with OA and RA. A meta-analysis of 30 randomised, controlled studies revealed significant improvements in pain and physical function in patients with knee arthritis.

Studies involving more than 12 supervised sessions proved more effective than those with less than 12 sessions, but both were of great value.

There was no difference whether the contact was on an individual basis or in a class session.

Programs that produced a heart rate of at least 55% of maximum done for 20 minutes per week for at least a month and a half improved aerobic capacity and muscle strength. Functional ability improved over the long term and there were no deleterious effects.

Exercise can also help the leg pain in pregnancy, a common complaint in the chiropractic practice.

• Leg pain during pregnancy
  
• MAIGNE'S SYNDROME EXERCISES for upper lumbar pain ...

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia also improves function just as an exercise class benefits arthritis.

What is fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a syndrome characterized by

1. Chronic pain
2. Fatigue
3. Insomnia

Fibromyalgia and exercise

• In a randomized trial (2008) at the Radboud University, Netherlands, 216 fibromyalgia patients were divided into two groups.

1. Group 1 was treated according to a "usual-care" control group.
2. Group 2 was treated for two months in a twice weekly (3 hours each) of pool exercise, aerobics and relaxation therapy; psychotherapy too.
   

Group 2 showed a 85% reduction in pain, fatigue and functional disability; and anxiety.

After half a year, 4 months after the program ended, 57% of Group 2 vs 29 percent of the control, maintained a clinically significant improvement.

Conclusion: Exercise Class Benefits Arthritis and Fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia and Obesity

Patients with fibromyalgia commonly have these two criteria.

• An elevated body mass index
• Are physically inactive
  

These are both major risk factors for metabolic syndrome. What is metabolic syndrome? Elevated blood glucose is highly inflammatory, affecting muscles, joints and organs.

Fibromyalgia - other common findings

• larger waist circumference
• higher glycosylated hemoglobin (a reliable indicator of diabetic control) as measured by HbA1_c.
• raised low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL, the bad one)
• raised blood pressure (systolic and diastolic).

FREE WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAMS ...

Walking speed

Training yourself to walk faster, and dealing with the problems that slow you down, in the knee and foot, for example, research shows will add years of life.

• WALKING SPEED
  

Knee arthritis in the person less than 50

An extremely promising new distraction device is providing stunning results in the natural replacement of the cartilage in the knee and ankle, without major surgery.

• Read more at KNEE JOINT DISTRACTION.

Ankle joint pain

The ankle joint is amazingly robust. Of course, the enormous stresses and strain on it from walking, jumping and running make it surprising that we don't have more pain and disability.

It is particularly vulnerable to obesity, as is the knee, when you end up with bone of the tibia bearing directly down on the talus as the hyaline cartilage wears away.

It is also vulnerable to injury. We put enormous challenges to our ankles; look at these two case files, one a severe fracture, the other a runner's injury.

Ankle exercises too have much benefit.

• ANKLE JOINT PAIN
• ANKLE JOINT PAIN Case File
• ANKLE JOINT PAIN CaseFile

Sacroiliac joint inflammation

It was a Swiss chiropractor Dr Fred Illi who first is credited with establishing that the sacroiliac joint is a freely movable joint.

Much contrary to medical opinion of the time (in the 1940's) which considered it an immovable joint and incapable of causing low back pain.

New medical research now confirms that sacroiliac joint inflammation is probably the cause of about 30% of lower lumbar back pain. Just as exercise class benefits arthritis so too it helps the SIJ.

At Chiropractic Help we strongly advocate mobilising and adjusting the fixated sacroiliac joint when it becomes stuck, it may well be the cause of your leg pain during pregnancy, and not waiting for that dreaded inflammation to set in. Other research confirms that fixated joints become arthritic joints called immobilisation Arthritis.

An exercise class benefits arthritis too of course. Hyaline cartilage starved of nutrients first causes pain. If you don't listen, then irreversible degenerative change sets in.

Pain is believe it or not your friend. It's trying to tell you something, and just turning it off, or ignoring it is very silly.

From Chiropractic Tips you will get some simple exercises to mobilise your sacroiliac joint. If they do not loosen it up, then see your chiropractor. Not in six months' time; by then it may be half way set as in concrete.

• SACROILIAC JOINT TREATMENT

Rotator cuff

Just as exercise class helps arthritis in the shoulder, so it would help a rotator cuff strain.

The focus of any exercise program should be where you've had injury, or even perhaps a family weakness. Whilst there has been massive research on the lower back which proves that if your mother has lower back pain, there's a 60% chance of you having as bad or worse complications. If your father then it is 50 percent.

If they both have lower back pain then there's a 90% probability yours will be as bad or worse.

We're not sure, but we should presume the same for shoulder problems. These rotator cuff exercises are relatively simple.

• ROTATOR CUFF STRENGTHENING ...

Make your own arm exerciser for only $5 and half an hour of your time.

Otherwise, it's frightening how quickly a rotator cuff injury can lead to shortening of the capsule, frozen shoulder extreme loss of range of motion and severe pain lasting on average three whole years.

The lack of movement sets you up for immobilisation arthritis; far better is to keep moving at home and an exercise class.

Most of us would rather spend ten minutes exercising at home.

Vertigo

Even the organs of balance in the inner ear benefit from exercise. Vertigo and dizziness are often caused by a blockage in the semi circular canals.

• CAUSES OF DIZZINESS: VESTIBULAR REHABILITATION By Dr Herdman.
  
• VERTIGO DIZZINESS
  
• CHIROPRACTIC TIPS: BRANDT DAROFF HABITUATION EXERCISES for the inner ear.
  

STIFF NECK EXERCISES FOR NECK PAIN

The neck is particular vulnerable to arthritis, mostly because of trauma and a leg length inequality (short leg) that causes scoliosis.

With all the sitting that we do in front of computers, couch potatoes and behind the wheel of the car, simple neck exercises should be on the menu for most of us.

• STIFF NECK EXERCISES FOR NECK PAIN ...
  
• LEG LENGTH INEQUALITY ...

TMJ exercises

EXERCISE CLASS BENEFITS ARTHRITIS - yes, you can get arthritis in the Temporo Mandibular Joint (TMJ) as well.

The jaw joint is highly complex and vulnerable to injury. It causes migraine, facial pain and trigeminal neuralgia; and a host of other syndromes.

• TMJ EXERCISES ...
• TMJ ANATOMY ...

Exercise class benefits arthritis

Exercise class benefits arthritis evaluates the influence of a structured programme in patients with osteo and rheumatoid inflammatory disease.