Dan,

When I go to the pool for an early morning swim and sauna/hot tub there are
a group of guys there every morning talking about their back pain, knee or
hip surgery, various injuries from hockey, skiing etc.  I listen and laugh,
I call us the 'invincible club'.  Who would have thought we would be where
we are.

Bonnie, going into year 6 with pd.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Dan W Scott" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, August 09, 2002 8:53 AM
Subject: Exercise and joints


> I  have been in the YMCA  pool for about 2 hours a day, 6 days/week. --
> since February  2002, excepting for 5 days a month ago, for antibiotic
> infusion therapy of very persistant cellulitis infection in my left leg;
but
> that's not the point.
>     The point is that while in hospital I watched an excellent
presentation
> by a professor of orthopedics/ arthritis at Washington State Medical
School.
> He reviewed alll the studies made regarding the benefits and the adverse
> effects of exercise.
>     He was age about 55. Speaking personally, he said that he had been
> jogging 3 miles per day for a few years. He said that he has learned as a
> result of  published studies that his degree of exercise was
quantitatively
> a little excessive, because of the (slight) risks of joint cartlidge
damage.
> As a result, he cut back to 2 miles per day as a justified balance between
> cardiac/ vascular benefits from exercise versus the cartledge damage
caused
> to the knee and hip joints.That's an example of what I mean by applying
> moderation.
>     I do not recall that any studies were made on pd populations
specificly,
> but they were made with all age groups, and many were of frail elderly
> persons.
>     I learned several things that I have applied to myself::
>     1. Be cautious with your degree of exercise. I can't be more specific
in
> this space, but simply say "certainly don't underdo it, do become active;
> but don't overdo it".
>     2. I myself cannot walk well except in water (only 1/4 mile on the
usual
> treadmill), but at this time, I do much more than the equivalent of that
in
> the pool. In the lectures, the professor emphasized very emphaticly the
> great benefits of strengthening the muscles that surround the knee. These
> are primarily those that are in the front and rear areas of your thigh,
near
> the knee. In  the water, I have been able to build up very very strong
> muscles for movement involving hip, knee, and calves (e.g. flexing to
stand
> on tip toes).
>     The benefits of strengthening , according to reported studies, are
> threefold, three principal ways:
>     a. The strength is there to help maintain balance. If pd lets you do
> even a little flexing of these muscles, you decrease the odds that you
will
> fall (I tend to fall backwards, but find that now I can prevent it more
> certainly).
>     b. If you do fall, the muscles form a padding, protecting the
underlying
> bones and joints. This is one main reason boxers build up so much muscle
> mass -- to pad themseves from blows.Your padding will be beneficial in an
> auto accident, as well!
>     c. Properly developed, these muscles keep the bones of the joint
> (principally the knee) properly aligned. The can greatly reduce wear on
the
> cartledge at the edges of the joint, and the studies show that this is a
> major benefit not only in reducing pain, but also in reducing the need for
> knee surgery at all. There are specific rules that I have found in
> literature, as well as observed in myself, that one should apply with any
> exercise that flexes the knee; it is too easy to do the wrong thing: e.g.,
> any posture that enables 'bow' legedness while stressing the knee joint;
> more subtly, exercise that stresses the knee joint when.the knee is above
> and in front of the ankle joint.
>     How can one exercise? Just briefly, there are several modes, or means
of
> exercising.
>     1. Do it yourself. Isometric, push against the wall or floor -- that
> sort of thing. Studies show that this mode is beneficial for avoiding
joint
> disease (but not cardio vascular, of course).
>     2. Use exercise machines. They will work well, although the ones that
> develop our muscles do not necessarily improve cardio vascular.. I
> personally have found that some of them that were especially useful were
> also somewhat difficult for me to get into or out of, but one can do it,
> especially with someone there to help.
>     3. Use the pool. All things considered, this is a mode that is the
best
> single method of muscle development (and cardio vascular, if that is an
> objective). There are one or two books recommended by Parkinsn foundation.
> They seem to me to be valuable for persons who are very hanicapped, and I
> value them, but they were of little use to me, I judged. That is why I
have
> addressed this subject in this forum, in case anyone has had aquatic
> exercise experience, or is otherwise interested in the topic. Let's call
it
> "Aquatic exercise"? I am hoping for further discussions.
> --------
>     These benefits resulting from muscle development, especially among us
> who are of advanced age, are WORTH THE BOTHER. Ask anyone who has had
joint
> surgery. Don't say "CANT exercise". "Where there is a will there is a
way."
> Of course, where there is a wont there is a way, too.
>     Just DO IT before you lose those joints, when you will be really
sorry,
> really miserable.
>     Try it, you may even like it! You may choose to exploit the social
> benefits of interaction with others in the pool who also have limited
> mobility. I have done things like trade recipes for chili and discussed
> parental/ grandparental problems concerning teenagers.
>
> Dan W Scott, pwp 18 years, going on two.
>
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