Can exercise be bad?

Dino

My hip and knee click badly if I exercise and I worry if I might do more harm than good. I read that exercise is a must and I get that. Am I being an alarmist?

Am I causing more rapid wear and hence more trouble?

TLee

I recently finished a short run of physical therapy to help with severe osteoarthritis in my left hip. The joint is already badly damaged, being bone-on-bone with osteocytes (bone spurs). The therapy was therefore meant to strengthen muscles that support the hip to provide a bit more stability, and I was told going in that I would see very little improvement in my range of motion. The therapist, rather than use the old "no pain, no gain" approach to exercise, constantly cautioned me not to move in a direction or to an extent that caused me pain. I think it would be a good idea to research exercises that are safe for your joints, or better yet have someone work with you to show you exactly how to perform certain movements. Oh, and I have heard good things about exercising in water--I just don't like public pools!

Lisbeth

Hiya, it has been drummed into me that while exercising is good for osteoarthritis, you should always listen to your body. If pain persists then drop that particular exercise down to an acceptable rate. It is important to keep your muscles as strong as you can. If you are considering surgery for your hip/knee, healing time post op will be easier and more quickly. I recently had a total hip replacement after a long three year wait. It got so bad that I had to give up riding, over three years ago, I put myself through so much pain, not listening to my body that I made things a lot worse. My goal now, start quietly to regain my muscle strength to get back in the saddle, I am aiming for March but I won’t attempt to do this if I’m not ready. @Dino can you speak with a physiotherapist who will tell you which exercises are more beneficial for you, exercises that won’t be painful but will help you. I had a high percentage of muscle wastage because I pushed the pain barrier and carried on riding . When I finally gave in and stopped, I could hardly move, I found myself stuck at home, in excruciating pain unable to get about without the aid of crutches. I hope you can find a suitable set of exercises that help you moving forward 🙂 @TLee I was also told that swimming would be beneficial but like you, I won’t go into a swimming pool (but I’m scared of water) best wishes to you, have you been advised that hip surgery may be something to consider, if so, I would say, it’s been a godsend for me. Sending positive thoughts 🙂

Dino

Thank you so much for your valuable advice and guidance. You have been very helpful and your experience is particularly interesting. I will take your advice to heart as I am just about demented.

Thanks again and good luck with your own journey.