Exercise and arhtritis

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Here is an article from The Chicago Tribune
Exercise Program helps ease arthritis pain

The exercise adage "no pain, no gain" has a different meaning for Clara Oleksy.

Having already lost a knee to osteoarthritis, the 70-year-old Park Ridge grandmother has found a new fitness program designed to bring relief to her aching joints.

Combining weight training, flexibility exercises, aerobics and education, the Fit and Strong program is helping senior arthritis patients regain mobility and, for some like Oleksy, wean themselves from their dependence on medications.

"I've cut down on the pain pills," Oleksy said. "It has helped the pain because with arthritis, you've got to keep moving."

Developed by Susan Hughes, director of the Center for Research on Health and Aging at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the eight-week program concentrates on the lower extremities -- a sore spot for many arthritis patients -- using ankle weights, exercise bands and treadmills.

Funded by a grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is being rolled out at a few suburban locations including the Morton Grove Park District, the Levy Senior Center in Evanston, the Wheeling Park District and the Advocate Lutheran General Fitness Center in Park Ridge, where Oleksy works out.

"The strength training using the ankle weights is a unique feature of our program," said Pankaja Desai, project manager of Fit and Strong. "We've found that the weights actually strengthen the muscles in the lower extremities, which help release the pressure on the joints. People rely less on the joints and more on the muscles."

Osteoarthritis is more prevalent among women than men, and nearly 27 million Americans have it, according to the Arthritis Foundation. It typically affects the hips, knees, hands and other joints, and symptoms -- primarily stiffness and pain -- usually begin after 40 and progress slowly. Treatment options include medications, dietary supplements, steroid injections and joint replacement surgery.

Though weight loss and exercise can help slow the progression and improve flexibility, getting arthritic seniors back into the workout mind-set can be a challenge, Desai said.

"We want the program to be an introduction to physical activity -- getting people back on the wagon," she said. "It gives people the confidence to continue to exercise, even after the program ends."

Oleksy, who was diagnosed with osteoarthritis 10 years ago, started working out at the fitness center after a left knee replacement in 2007. She participated in a previous arthritis exercise program at the facility and said she needed the structure and support to stick with it.

"These are probably some things I could very easily do at home, but I won't do it at home," she said. "I know I have to do it when I go to class."

The 90-minute classes are held three times a week at Advocate Lutheran General Fitness Center.


Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune


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Paul