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.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask]
In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn
