I believe swimming is good for people with arthritis (though there seems to be saying that people with rheumatoid arthritis should avoid swimming?) . I wonder if it helps prevent it? Are lifelong swimmers less likely to develop arthritis in old age?
Funny how I thought of this question. Yesterday I saw my friend's cat. She used to be a very active cat, but now at 15 she's walking like an old lady and had pains due to arthritis. It was sad to see her in this state knowing what she's like when younger. :( (My question pertains to human beings, though ;))
My rheumatologist is all for swimming. He just tells me to "respect the pain". Since everyday is a battle with RA, I adjust my workouts to the amount of pain and stiffness I have in any particular joint.
Yeah, from what I'm reading, I think we have to be mindful of the various meanings of "swimming" or "exercise".
I would think that the kind of swimming that goes into training for competition might not be advisable for many OA or RA sufferers.
For mild cases, a fairly high level of fitness swimming might be a good thing, but for severe cases you might want to limit it to hydro-fitness in warmer water.
Here's a nice overview from the Arthritis Foundation.
My rheumatologist is all for swimming. He just tells me to "respect the pain". Since everyday is a battle with RA, I adjust my workouts to the amount of pain and stiffness I have in any particular joint.
Yeah, from what I'm reading, I think we have to be mindful of the various meanings of "swimming" or "exercise".
I would think that the kind of swimming that goes into training for competition might not be advisable for many OA or RA sufferers.
For mild cases, a fairly high level of fitness swimming might be a good thing, but for severe cases you might want to limit it to hydro-fitness in warmer water.
Here's a nice overview from the Arthritis Foundation.
