Can Pilates help arthritis sufferers in any way?

What is arthritis?

Arthritis affects the musculoskeletal system and specifically the joints.  It’s an inflammation of the joints.  It’s the main cause of disability among people over 55.  Arthritis is a term that covers over 100 medical conditions.  Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and usually affects the elderly.

Causes

When someone has arthritis something has gone wrong in the joint depending on the type of arthritis.  It could be the cartilage wearing away, lack of fluid, autoimmunity (body attacking itself), infection or a combination of many factors.

Common form of arthritis

• Osteoarthritis
• rheumatoid arthritis
• infectious arthritis

How people are affected

There are many ways arthritis can affect people.  The type of arthritis has a lot to do with how severely affected a person is.  There are usually good and bad days.  Most sufferers experience discomfort, pain, stiffness and / or fatigue.  There is the feeling of frustration with no longer being able to grip things as well or not being as mobile as in the past.  However, living with arthritis doesn’t mean giving up an active lifestyle.  With slight changes to your lifestyle an active lifestyle is still very realistic.

People with arthritis often will avoid physical activity in the affected joint because of the pain.  A physical therapist can help with working the joint stiffness without damaging it.  A physical therapist can help achieve a good range of motion which may include building strength in the muscles surrounding the affected joint stabilizing the weakened joint.  They will usually create an exercise program for you.  Exercise is a big part of occupational therapy being effective.

Management with occupational therapy

1. How to reduce the strain on joints while doing daily activities.
2. Modifying home and work place so that movements don’t aggravate the arthritis.
3. Using aids for everyday things i.e. dressing, housekeeping, work activities, driving and washing/bathing
4. How to move from one position to the other with or without walking aids e.g. crutches, cane, walker, if needed.
5. Create a nutrition/diet plan if you’re overweight and overstressing the joints.
6. How to make better decisions about shoes if that’s the affected body part.
7. Learn how and when to rest. Resting is necessary for treating inflammation and pain. Resting individual joints through splints can be helpful too.

Traditional exercises for arthritis

Traditional exercises include aquafitness, walking, gentle yoga, anything low impact.  Pilates is slowly becoming a form of exercise that is amenable to arthritis sufferers.  More and more doctors are recommending Pilates to arthritis sufferers.  Keeping the affected joints mobile is important.  So, moderate exercise on a regular basis performed in a pain free range of motion is recommended for arthritis patients.  Pilates is great for this because of the variety of exercises, modifications that can be done to the exercises yet still benefiting positively.  Increased strength, flexibility, stability around joints, better sense of balance and body awareness are all among the areas worked on while doing Pilates.  Increased energy lessening fatigue is also a very common byproduct of regular Pilates.

References

Hannah Nichols, Arthritis: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments, URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/7621.php