I have battled arthritis for almost ten long years..so much so that orthopaedic surgeon suggested synovial fluid injections periodically (an injection that supplements the fluid in your knee to help lubricate and cushion the joint, and can provide up to six months of osteoarthritis knee pain relief) to keep me moving, but I said no to those injections….used to walk slowly….many daily activities were a big no..but now strength training has given me a new lease of life..could lift up my son (6’2″ height…90kg weight) with much ease…
Everything is possible if you are determined…if I can do…You can definitely do this.
Strength training is the answer not only to alleviating the pain but making you feel good too.Eat Healthy Stay Fit.
Please follow these below-given steps to get cured:
- The first and foremost step is to control weight. It should be within the ideal body weight (IBW) range as per height n age. However, there is not one ideal body weight for each person, because a number of different factors like age, muscle-fat ratio, height, sex, and body fat distribution, or body shape play a role. There are many IBW charts available online. You can check from there. You can use a simple JD Robinson formula to calculate your IBW too.Men: Ideal Body Weight (kg) = 52 kg + 1.9 kg per inch over 5 feet.
Women: Ideal Body Weight (kg) = 49 kg + 1.7 kg per inch over 5 feet.
Example: What is the ideal body weight for a man with a height of 5 feet 3 inches?First 5 feet (52 kilograms) + 3 inches (1.9 kilograms) = 57.7 kilograms{Source*-Robinson JD, Lupkiewicz SM, Palenik L, Lopez LM, Ariet M, Determination of ideal body weight for drug dosage calculations. Am J Hosp Parm 1983 40:1016-9.First, excess weight puts additional stress on weight-bearing joints (for example, the knee). Second, inflammatory factors associated with weight gain might contribute to trouble in other joints as well. When you walk across a flat surface, the force on your knees is equivalent to 1½ times your body weight. That means a 90 kg man will put 136 kg approx. of pressure on his knees with each step. On an inclined surface, the pressure is even greater. - Osteoarthritis is the degeneration of joint cartilage and the underlying bone, most common from middle age onward. It causes pain and stiffness, especially in the hip, knee, and thumb joints. Usually Chondromalacia patellae (early changes in the cartilage ), If not effectively treated, leads to osteoarthritis in the knee joint.In layman’s language, your joints get weak and fail to take bodyweight so start hurting. But if you build your muscles, your muscles take your body weight, saving your joints.
- Every osteoarthritis patient is asked to get physiotherapy done. People do that for stipulated time period and then forget to continue. It’s a lifelong process. You need to continue doing exercises told by your physiotherapist forever. But once you get hold of it, you need fewer repetitions.
- People say, we do exercise but it does not benefit us. Exercise is not just moving your body without effort, that’s warm up. Exercise is something that makes you put special efforts and that makes you sweat. But start slowly.
- Resistance training increases muscle strength by making your muscles work against a weight or force. Different forms of resistance training includes using free weights, weight machines, resistance bands and your own body weight. A beginner needs to train two or three times per week to gain the maximum benefit. It may take weeks or months. Strength training should include all major muscle groups of the body. These include those in the arms, legs, back, and chest.
- Strength training methods include:*Bodyweight exercises, such as push-ups, pull-ups, squats, and lunges.
*Resistance band exercises
*Weights that can include dumbbells, kettle balls, plates
*Weight machines used in a gym.As your body increases its strength, you find it easy to complete the 8 to 12 repetitions using the same weight. But please speak to your orthopaedist before starting new exercises. - You need to take care of your diet, specially protein intake, but through diet only. No need to take artificial supplements. They do more harm than good. The more protein your body stores, the larger your muscles grow. Your body constantly uses its protein reserves for other uses like making hormones, for regular wear and tear, enzymes etc. The result is less protein available for muscle building. To counteract that, you need to eat healthy diet with emphasis on complete proteins. It is important to speak with a nutritionist before making changes in your diet too.
- Avoid crash diets.
- Keep changing brands of foods you eat. Every time a package finishes. Try some other brand. I have seen people eating same brands e.g. oils for decades. It should be done for all packaged foods or for anything that goes inside your system even for toothpastes. Good exercise regimen along with healthy diet (containing all macro n micro nutrients in balanced amounts) is all your bones and muscles require to maintain your inexhaustible physical agility. So do not get scared, Joints hurt in the beginning but after few weeks, you would notice a remarkable good change.
