Archive to All Aging Gracefully Diaries
I posted the first diary in this series last week. It was a basic exploratory fishing trip to see if there was interest in such a series. On the basis of the comments I received I reached the conclusion that there was some interest and I have worked out an initial trial format. I started out with the assumption that in addition to ageing what we all had in common was use of computers since we are on Daily Kos. However, I think that is a bit narrow to be the primary focus. We also have other things in common such as feeding ourselves, getting exercise, the need for medical care, etc. I decided to try having diaries focus on one of the specific conditions that are common to the ageing process and ways for effectively managing it. Most of them are likely to touch on computer use. I ask for feedback on this format. I have the time and energy to do diaries to get the series going. However, if there is anyone who is interested in doing one or more please let me know, either in the comments or by Kosmail.
Arthritis comes in many forms. There are over different forms of it. Some of them such as rheumatoid arthritis can be seriously disabling. What I want to focus on here is the garden variety form medically known as osteoarthritis. Anybody who lives long enough will probably be affected by it to some extent. Younger people can have it in specific joints as a result of injuries or other problems. For people who are well along in the ageing process it is a more a generalized matter of the body getting creaky.
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis.[9] It can affect both the larger and the smaller joints of the body, including the hands, wrists, feet, back, hip, and knee. The disease is essentially one acquired from daily wear and tear of the joint; however, osteoarthritis can also occur as a result of injury. Osteoarthritis begins in the cartilage and eventually causes the two opposing bones to erode into each other. Initially, the condition starts with minor pain during activities, but soon the pain can be continuous and even occur while in a state of rest. The pain can be debilitating and prevent one from doing some activities. Osteoarthritis typically affects the weight-bearing joints, such as the back, spine, and pelvis.
Concurrent with the deterioration of joints is a general pattern of change in body tissue. Muscles become less resilient and bones become more brittle. One of the most useful approaches to managing the pain and stiffness that come with this is exercise. For this purpose there are two basic forms of it, stretching and aerobic excise. Stretching helps to keep muscles flexible and limber. Aerobic exercise improves strength and stamina and improves circulation. It has several other benefits. Keeping arthritis under control makes it easier to do exercise and exercise makes it easier to keep it under control. The basic rule of thumb is the exercise program that will do you the most good is the one that you can manage to do on a more or less daily basis. Therefore it is necessary to take things like time and personal comfort into consideration.
There are lots of sites on the net that provide information and tutorials on stretching programs. Here is a video that presents a fairly full program. I found lots of others on Youtube by searching on stretching for elderly. Some of them are shorter and focus on specific parts of the body.
Here's a good tutorial with general background information and illustrations of specific exercises. The approach that I have been following for a number of years is to do a general series of head to toe exercises every morning when I am at most flexible point in the day.
Aerobic exercise is something that will cause a rise in your pulse/heart rate and breathing rate. There are many different ways to accomplish this. The more vigorous the exercise the more training benefit you get in the shortest possible time. Looked at from this perspective, running is an efficient way to get exercise. However, it is what is known as a high impact exercise. It causes extra pressure on joints and muscles and can lead to various stress injuries. I used to do it many years ago, but it is way beyond me now. For people with problems like arthritis and various other limiting conditions some form of low impact exercise is likely to be the most useful and doable. Swimming is a very good low impact exercise and can work for people who have major difficulties. However, it does require pretty convenient access to a pool.
When I lived in San Francisco I took long walks for exercise. There was no way that I was getting on a bike in that traffic. Five years ago I moved up to the country in Sonoma Co. and took up bike riding. I have a comfort bike and not a racing one. The relaxing pleasure of riding on the quiet country roads keeps me at it. I usually ride an hour most every day. The current medical advice it to get at least 30 mins of aerobic exercise at least five days a week.
Weight control is an important issue in managing arthritis. Extra weight adds to the pressure on joints and makes exercise more difficult.
This is a good place to stop and let other people share their experiences.
The plan is to publish this series on Tuesday afternoons at 3:00PM PDT.