Less Pain, More Flexibility : Exercise Beneficial for Arthritis Sufferers

An exercise regimen is helping thousands of people relieve the pain and stiffness caused by arthritis, America’s No. 1 crippling disease.

Developed seven years ago as part of a national health research project, the program is now used by Arthritis Foundation chapters in 70 cities across the country.

“We teach the principles of exercise and let people design their own program,” said Kate Lorig, director of education at the Stanford Arthritis Center, where the regimen was developed.

Components of the self-help course include relaxation techniques, nutrition, proper use of medication and protection of inflamed joints.

Won’t Wear Out

“Until recently people with arthritis were afraid to exercise because they thought it would wear out their joints,” Lorig said. “Now we know the reverse is true.”

In fact, studies have found that the pain of arthritis, a primary complaint among patients, is reduced by 12% to 25% in individuals who take part in the exercise course.

“The interesting thing we’re finding is that it’s not so much the exercise or the relaxation techniques that reduces the pain, but the psychological effects of people gaining a feeling of control over their lives,” Lorig reported. “They can set goals and accomplish things they didn’t know they could accomplish.”

In one case, a patient was unable to visit her new grandchild because she could not walk up a stairway of 17 steps. The woman set a program of gradual climbing and after the sixth month was able to go up the stairs.

“The result was getting to see her grandchild on Easter,” Lorig said.

Kinds of Exercise

Three types of exercises developed for arthritis patients are outlined in a step-by-step manual, “Arthritis Help Book.” A revised and updated version of the manual will be published in August and is available through Arthritis Foundation chapters.

The first exercise is to move the affected joints through their range of motions. This keeps the joints from losing their functions, Lorig said.

“If you don’t move your shoulders they will lose their mobility, the same with fingers,” Lorig said. “All you really have to do is move every joint through the range of motion it’s supposed to move through two or three times a day.”

The second exercise involves muscle strengthening to help the joints become more stable. This consists of light isometrics in which the patient contracts each muscle for six seconds without moving the joint.

Maintaining Strength

“You can maintain muscle strength doing this six times a day,” Lorig said. “It doesn’t take a huge amount of time or effort.”

The third step is performing an endurance exercise for about half an hour each day. Walking, swimming and bicycling are recommended.

“We want people to think of what they can do comfortably and do it three to four times a week,” she said.

The Arthritis Foundation, in adopting the exercise program, is trying to acquaint the public with the importance of regular exercise in controlling some of the symptoms of arthritis, which actually constitutes a category of 109 inflammatory ailments.