Aerobics and Cycling for Arthritis Pain Relief

Cycling can be a really healthy and enjoyable activity for those suffering from arthritis. However, a lot of folk reckon that it might be good for your hips, but not exactly suitable for the knees.

Having said that, a lot of the problems that arise with the knees are often caused by having the saddle or handlebars not properly adjusted, or by trying too much at the beginning, before your muscles have had time to adapt to the exercise. Of course, it could aggravate your knees—if you try it, and you think it might cause you problems, then it’s best to get off your bike, as it were.

Modern day bicycles can be adapted very easily to individual needs, as the handlebars, saddles, operation of gears and brakes can be adjusted. Bikes with many gears offer more options, especially to the arthritis sufferer. The gears are there, of course, to help give you an energy advantage. By using them properly, you can have the same amount of legwork whether you’re on an even surface, or on a very steep hill.

The racing bike, which was very popular in my younger days, has thankfully given way now to ones such as touring or mountain bikes. They are much more comfortable, especially for those with arthritis, as you are sitting straight up instead of hunching over the handlebars, and then craning your neck up to see the way ahead.

Safety is very important when it comes to cycling. If you can find a quiet lane, a cycle path, or a park, so much the better, with the amount of traffic on our roads nowadays. A cardinal rule, though—wherever you happen to be riding your bike, make sure that you always wear a helmet. Even if you always travel at a slow pace, remember that the unexpected can crop up, and often does. Only last week, we’ve had the tragic death of a champion cyclist here in Scotland. If you’re riding at night, or even during twilight, make sure that you have tail and headlamps, as well as reflectors on your helmet, bike, and clothing.

For added comfort, try a padded seat cover, and also padded gloves. Those can be used indoors also, as I haven’t mentioned that you can carry out your cycling in the comfort of your home as well, using stationary exercise bikes. You can set the tension on those to anything you like, usually starting with the easiest, and gradually working your way up to a higher degree of difficulty.

Cycling helps to develop greater strength and endurance, and joints are often less swollen and painful after you’ve got yourself into a regular routine.

 

How Your Knee Can Be Cursed By The Occult

Although I was diagnosed with arthritis in my left wrist about 15 years ago, it was a while later that my knees started to buckle for no apparent reason. Nothing was done about it at the time, and as a result, I believe that’s what has left them with arthritis nowadays. To minimise the risk of that happening, and the needless pain that accompanies it, I thought you might want to have a look at the following article by Dr. Bill Stillwell, of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center.

“When you hear the word "occult," it may summon visions of a voodoo priestess muttering incantations and sticking a doll with pins. And if you sometimes get a mysterious, sudden, stabbing pain in your knee, you may wonder if there's a connection... if you're the victim of some sort of curse.

Well, your knee may be "cursed" by an occult injury. But it has nothing to do with the supernatural. "Occult" is from the Latin for "hidden." And, medically speaking, an occult injury is one without an apparent cause. When it comes to the knee, this most often means a torn meniscus, which can occur without a specific injury.

Most often, meniscal injury is suggested by swelling and effusion (water on the knee)... joint pain (though some are painless)... snapping or popping of the knee... instability of the knee (buckling or giving way)... and, occasionally, locking of the joint in flexion. But these symptoms may be lacking.

The meniscus is a crescent-shaped cartilage structure that lies between the top of the shinbone (tibia) and the curved end of the thigh bone (femur) inside the knee. ("Meniscus" means "moon" in Greek.) There are two menisci, one on each side of the joint. They act to disperse weight-bearing forces, to cushion shocks, and to guide the knee, especially when you're changing direction, pivoting, or twisting.

A sudden, exaggerated movement can tear the meniscus, and that's usually the way it happens. But some people develop a tear without any preceding trauma - simply as a result of the degeneration of the cartilage that occurs with aging. The center of the tissue breaks down and becomes soft and jelly-like. Eventually, the jelly breaks through the outer surface, the disruption extends, and a tear is born.

Menisci have a really bad blood supply. Once they're torn, they don't readily heal. And for that reason, most of these injuries require arthroscopic surgery, either to repair the tear or remove it. So if you suspect this is the source of your discomfort, see an orthopaedist. Ignored, it will continue to cause problems. And it can eventually lead to arthritis.”

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, the Internet’s most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

 

 

Arthritis Pain Relief—an Introduction

Arthritis pain relief—who needs that, I can hear some people ask. Well, more than 50 million Americans suffer from some form of arthritis, and almost everyone over the age of 50 will develop some signs of it. There are millions more in other countries all over the world, so we cannot even make an educated guess at the total number of sufferers. As one of those, I decided to use some of my spare time in looking at causes, and especially at suggested cures for arthritis pain relief that might be available. There are countless books on the subject of arthritis, and it was only after buying and reading quite a few that I realised that there were various types of the disease. I’ve read a lot of material from various people—doctors, specialists, sufferers etc., and I thought that I’d jot down some things that might be of use in trying to minimise pain, and to give some relief to sufferers.

Just a bit of background about myself. I didn't always suffer from arthritis. I know that there are many who have to cope with it from an early age, but I was fortunate in that sense. I enjoyed my sports and other activities, and when it came to earning a living, it was as a self employed bricklayer—plenty of work available, and a fairly comfortable lifestyle because of the earnings I was able to make. Up until 1991, I considered myself fairly fit, with hardly a day missed because of ill health. I got up one fine summer’s morning that year, had my usual cup of tea (never any breakfast—very BAD idea!) and set off for work. The labourer with me mixed the first batch of cement, and set it on the mortar boards for me. I went to lift my first block of the day (they were 18in x 9in x 4in concrete blocks, and fairly heavy, to the uninitiated), and found that my fingers wouldn’t open out properly in order to grip it. My labourer thought that I was having him on, but he soon realised that I was being serious, and that something was amiss.

I wasn’t really a great one for having chats with doctors, but I had to go and find out what was wrong. After weeks of tests, x-rays etc, I was told that I had rheumatoid arthritis, and was warned that it would probably get worse. That has certainly happened over the years, as my knees began to be affected, plus my left shoulder, which I’d damaged in an accident a few years earlier.

Things that most people take for granted, for example sleeping, bathing, brushing one’s teeth, getting dressed, making meals, and even driving the car; for me, became extremely challenging. I thus began a quest for any kind of pain relief that might be available

Although I’m handicapped in some ways, I knew that I couldn’t sit still all day long—every day, week after week, year after year. My goodness, I thought, I’ve still got loads of time ahead of me—surely there’s something I can do. I had taken 2 years off from bricklaying to do a college course in Business and Scottish Highland Studies, all done through the medium of Scottish Gaelic. I had also been commissioned a couple of years before to research and write a book (in English) for the local Community Council, and had actually enjoyed doing it. I therefore decided to combine my knowledge of Scottish Gaelic and my growing love of scribbling. I decided to make an attempt at writing a book that would help learners of the language. By this time, I’d been using various creams to alleviate the pain in my fingers and wrists, and it was actually my knees that were giving me the most grief. I’ve now written 3 educational books, with a fourth on the way.

A lot of folk are much more seriously handicapped with the disease than I am, of course, and in my ongoing blog, I’ll look at various ways of maybe making life a bit more bearable for them. There are lots of methods of obtaining arthritis pain relief, some of which cost nothing, or are cheap, at any rate. Before that, we’ll take a look at some forms of arthritis.