People said EXERCISE! Move! it is good for arthritis to lubricate the joints! Are you NUTS? it Hurts to move. So I sat and watched tv even before covid. One day, I noticed I could not put my stack of plates up into the cupboard out of the dishwasher. : ( I did physical work all my life. I lifted my lawn tractor out of a ditch. Twice! (Ok I am not a good driver. Another story for another time) I figured I built up muscles to last a lifetime. But lately, I did only what I HAVE to do. And it was starting to get harder to do that. I tried physical therapy but the exercises hurt and didn't seem to work for me. I have a stationary bike, inversion table, ski machine etc. which I dusted occasionally. I climbed on the bike and could not believe I was exhausted in about 30 seconds! Fast forward: This morning I got on my ski machine (on which I could not move my feet to start with the program) and here I was moving all my parts !!! and I felt better for doing it. I am not good at lifting my feet when I walk (with a cane) so the bike will come in handy for that. I have found other exercises to help with my core and do push-ups at the kitchen counter. The other thing I found was that cutting out all sugar and white flour products helps a lot too. Alcohol is basically sugar to the body.
I can sympathize with you, Mary! Arthritis had moved into my shoulders, knee, and lower back, so almost overnight I have become a bent-over old man (only 84) who can't do the pushups, chest stretches, and dumbbell exercises that I have done all my life. My doctor says "What do you expect at age 84?" She does advocate walking and easy workouts on my treadmill, however, which I run at walking speed with maximum incline. Hal
@Mary Miller The near-constant pain in my shoulders makes the thought of forceful exercise exceedingly unpleasant. Doing the everyday moves, as you mention, like taking dishes down from an upper cabinet, or putting them back, even worse, I try to liken to exercise, though it really isn't. Thus far, I have avoided pain killers, wondering if they help bodily movement by masking pain...... Frank
Light resistance training like isometric exercises (after a warm-up) can be one of the best ways to target the painful areas without doing damage. Perhaps a hot pad placed on the area to move the blood to the painful area prior to the isometrics might help. The physiology is a little long winded and filled with a lot of big words but in short, whenever a singular area is targeted with heat and or exercise, more healing agents are carried by blood to the injured area. More light exercise, more blood in the surrounding tissues, more healing. Also, anything that will reduce the amount of inflammation to the painful area is always a good idea.
I tried squeezing a rubber ball with one finger at a time to see if it would do anything for arthritis in the hand. I was able to do so without pain but days later, whatever pain I was having before got worse. As far as lubricating joints goes, if there is a lubricant there to begin with, it should lubricate without exercise so I don't believe in the lubricate part. My most prominent pain problem now is not arthritis, but the bottoms of my feet. I read that as we age we lose the soft tissue padding on the soles of our feet causing what's left to press against the bones of the feet. I am not a sedentary person so I power through anyway, but relief would be welcome.
I’m not one for gobbling down a bunch of glucosamine when I have joint problems because for me, it doesn’t work even though it seems to be the panacea for joint pain for many others. The orthopedic guys will generally tell a person to use it if it works, don’t if it doesn’t. No harm, no foul. What I do depend on is exercise and the use of anti-inflammatory foods and supplements. Here’s a link that explains things a bit better concerning the lubricant thing. Note: Funny thing but when i tore both of my bicep tendons at the elbows, the main thing that got me through it besides my TENS machine was to do bicep curls. When I could hardly pick up a cup of coffee, doing a few light weight bicep curls killed the pain. https://www.livestrong.com/article/477597-synovial-joints-during-exercise/
Phase 4 orthotics (as seen on tv) saved my and my husband's feet. When you first try them, you will swear at me. They hurt because the bones in your feet have fallen out of place. The orthotics put them back in place but it is kind of abrupt. So your feet will complain. But if you start with 5 minutes of them in your shoes, sitting down and work up to an hour, sitting down; then stand and walk around for 5 minutes, increasing it as you can stand it; eventually you will not be able to be without them. I suggested them to my chiropractor and she now recommends them. (She swore at me first ; )
Ed, do you have poor circulation or diabetes? Diabetics often have neuropathy in their feet which can be quite dangerous. Maybe some good supportive insoles for your shoes would help.
Thankfully I do not yet have chronic pain, though occasionally I get a sharp reminder that I'm nearing my "use by" date. Recently I twisted my back doing a simple task and it took a couple of weeks to stop hobbling (and whining.) I try to exercise daily, mostly walking or using my mini-trampoline. I also have other exercise machines so I occasionally use the stationary bike or my glider. I like the "Walk at Home" exercise routines from Leslie Sansone; many of them are available on Youtube. Our house is 2 stories and I believe that going up and down the stairs all day is one thing that keeps me in relatively good condition. Other than housework and a bit of gardening, I really don't get a lot of physical "work" these days.
No diabetes and I suppose circulation is OK but probably not what it was years ago. Old age does not come alone.
Do a read-up on Niacin. It relaxes the blood vessels which helps with blood flow. I have a “witches brew” that I drink throughout the day and niacin is one of the components. Dunno if you’ve ever experienced a “rush” in your life but the “flush” Niacin produces is a little like that if you try it on an empty stomach. Word of warning: if you do want to try, take the smallest dosage available at first and on a full stomach otherwise the flush will be brief but very intense.
I have arthritis only in my fingers, so far, and exercising them seems to help some. I don't mean lifting heavy things with my fingers, but flexing them and moving them about.
I have to look into buying an all in one vitamin supplement which would include niacin (B3). Suggestions appreciated.
Liver and chicken contain niacin but like boron supposedly rich broccoli, there isn’t enough to make any great differences. As far as having it included in a supplement, there are a few pre-workout products that have it in it but they’re a little spendy. We buy just about all of our supplements in bulk powder form because I make my own health drink that has everything from vitamin C, Niacin, BCAA, EAA’s, macca root and the list goes on. I looked at some of the Niacin supplements in capsule form and there are some that are “flush free” so that’s something you might wish to look at. Start off small and work your way up. The thing is, it is a difference you can feel after a couple of days so to me, it’s worth it.
@Bobby Cole Have you ever heard there are two isomers of Niacin, Nicotinic Acid and Niacinamide? Supposedly the latter, commonly found in supplements, causes flushing, but fails to affect blood fat levels, while Nicotinic Acid does not cause flushing and DOES reduce lipid levels. Frank