Rookie question

Lady3106

Probably very clearly a rookie question but you folks seem in the best position to advise so: If I do too much, which actually isn't that much but anything more than light housework and a level walk then pain increases considerably. If I move through the hip motions very gingerly then I avoid pain. Is this par for the course? Also I can't quite get my head around exercise, it is supposed to help, but when I do even slightly too much I think I am the worse. So my little dilemma is do I rest to ease things or do I try to keep moving even when it's sore. Obviously if it's really sore I do give up and rest which helps but it's the times when it's sore but not unbearable I'm not sure about?

daffy2

The whole exercise/pain thing can be quite confusing can't it? As a general principle exercise is good because it helps to prevent joints from seizing up and the muscles which support the joints from getting weak, and also keeps the circulation going to help keep joints and muscles healthy. Unfortunately just because it's a good thing to do doesn't necessarily mean that it is pain-free, either during or after! So yes you may have to keep trying even though you find the pain worrying. Having said that it would be worth discussing this with someone like a physio, as there may be things you are doing that are causing or adding to pain - favouring a sore joint for instance puts stress on other joints and muscles which can then protest with pain. Shoes which don't suit your needs,( not enough padding or support) can have a knock-on effect(literally in the case of hard surfaces!) on knee and back joints. If muscles are tense they can prevent a joint moving correctly and also be very painful,which you may interpret as a joint problem and then tense up even more to 'protect' the sore joint - which adds to the problem....

Lady3106

Thank you Daffy2 for such a comprehensive reply. Yes it's finding the right balance (literally). I am trying to keep moving but in a manner that doesn't aggravate. Been given the chance of borrowing an exercise bike cross trainer. Will give it a go and see how things work with that. Yes, I realise I need to try and not put other joints under extra strain and keeping the muscles at least as strong as they were. Appreciate your input.

stickywicket

The whole business of getting used to living with arthritis can be quite confusing. Mr SW is currently going through it. In his head he's still a young athlete (at 74 :roll: ) but his body doesn't quite agree. He takes anti-inflammatories for a day then goes out digging the garden and wonders why things have got worse.

Exercise is good but it has to be the right kind of exercise. Exercise keeps the muscles strong and muscles which are strong support our joints better so we have less pain. When things are rough we should still take our joints through their full range of movement (ROM) every day in order to keep that movement. When things are better we can use strengthening exercises. Pain during, or immediately after, exercise is, unfortunately, quite normal but unusual pain or pain that lasts for some time is a warning.

It's difficult even for us old hands. We still moan about payback even though we know it'll happen. (Sometimes, though, it's worth it )

Here is Arthritis Care's info on exercise. I hope it helps but do get back to us if it just raises more questions. https://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/living-with-arthritis/exercise-and-arthritis

Lady3106

Thank you Stickwicket. I will search around and take advice on what exercise is best for me. I see where you are coming from in sometimes payback being worth it. I suppose rather like a vehicle I worry that using it to it's detriment, even if just for a short period, will in the future cause it to breakdown quicker.

dreamdaisy

In my experience every move I make hurts something somewhere to varying degrees - life became easier to manage once I had forgotten what pain-free felt like. What I have learned over the years is to stop when I think I can do more, to pace my activities according to pain levels (if it takes most of the day to strip and change the bed, so what? It gets done and that counts.) I have made great changes throughout the house (including moving) to help me live better. I have also learned when I have to force myself to incur more pain and that's when I have not moved enough for a day or two: that always makes things worse.

Arthritis is a ubiquitous complaint which is as individual as us. I have a creaky foot in both camps, I began with an auto-immune which led to OA. It is what it is, it will do what it will do, it will not be getting better because it doesn't so it's both up and down to me to make the best of things when I can. I started aged 37 and am now 58, not the 21 years I envisaged living but, thanks to dross health since early childhood, not a total surprise. DD

Lady3106

Thank you Dreamdaisy. I guess I am lucky that I haven't been troubled too much until recently. Reading through regular posters posts is quite an eye opener. Something I'm ashamed to say I didn't give a lot of thought to in the past. Still getting my head around it and a long way of accepting it stage.

dreamdaisy

There's no need to be ashamed; who thinks about having to live with disease when good health is or has been the norm? It's human nature not to consider things that have never affected us. To paraphrase Kathy Lette (writing about love and marriage) good health prepares one for ill-health as lace making does for round-the-world yachting. This is where the forum can come in useful because we've all been there, done that, tried to do it again, failed, beaten ourselves up about it and started all over again because that is what one does.

Of course it takes time to begin to accommodate one's limitations without complaint or resentment. There are a couple of useful articles on the web about living with long-term chronic conditions, There's a Gorilla in my House and The Spoon Theory: they can be informative for friends and family too. DD

Lady3106

Thank you so much Dreamdaisy I will look up those articles.