Right Program Can Also Restore Movement : Exercise Relieves the Pain of Arthritis

Debbie Reynolds can’t get out of bed without doing a 15-minute routine of stretches and exercises. After she rises, the star of stage and screen wouldn’t dream of skipping her hourlong workout.

As an actress and dancer, the 56-year-old Reynolds is used to discipline, but now her motivation also comes from her battle against arthritis.

A disease with 100 different forms, arthritis afflicts 36 million Americans, nearly one in seven. The most common form is osteoarthritis.

Reynolds has had osteoarthritis for 14 years. But even as it stiffens and swells joints in her back, knees and ankles, she is determined to fight back, and she encourages fellow sufferers to do the same with regular exercise.

“I do believe in taking care of myself. That’s why I’m still here and I’m really extraordinarily happy,” said Reynolds at a recent New York forum on arthritis and exercise.

Chronic Inflammation

Arthritis, most simply, is chronic inflammation of the cartilage that pads joints. Sometimes it develops at the site of an old injury, so it is not uncommon among dancers and athletes.

“Osteoarthritis can strike at any age. It does tend to strike twice as many women as men, especially during the prime childbearing and work ages, between 20 and 45,” said Peter Mathon, a spokesman for the National Arthritis Foundation, in a telephone interview from his Atlanta office.

He said exercise, done properly, can expand strength and range of motion for people with the disease, which can be painful and crippling.

“There are people who get it and are literally crippled and unable to work as a result,” he said, adding that other people may have only mild symptoms.

Not all arthritis sufferers are as determined or as fortunate as Reynolds, who has survived two failed marriages, bankruptcy and the deaths of two children.

The energetic performer made light of her discomforts while fervently urging others with arthritis not to let the incurable disorder stop them.

Exercises to Get Out of Bed

“I have to exercise to just to get out of bed in the morning,” she said, adding, “I find it’s very helpful to get the day done when you can move.”

Now touring with a two-hour stage show, Reynolds starred in the 1983 Broadway hit, “Woman of the Year,” and in films including “The Unsinkable Molly Brown.”

She said her arthritis first appeared as a dull, throbbing pain in her lower back, the site of an injury suffered during a film stunt years ago.

The hands are common sites for osteoarthritis, and for women, the joints of the thumb and wrist seem to be special problems. Like Reynolds, many people find the discomfort is worse in the morning.

Some patients become progressively weaker as they reduce their activities in response to their arthritis. Of course, a physician should be consulted before beginning any exercise program and care should be taken with highly inflamed joints.

Dr. Terri Aagaard, a Salt Lake City sports medicine and emergency medical specialist who joined Reynolds in New York, refuted myths that exercise is bad for those suffering arthritis.

Acute Problems Become Chronic

“Acute inflammatory problems can lead to chronic inflammatory problems if we don’t take care of them,” Aagaard said, but added that in many cases, the right exercise program can reduce pain and help patients regain movement.

An example of an exercise to improve the range of motion exercise is the “thumb walk,” done by forming the letter “O” with the thumb and each finger on the same hand.