01-23-14, 10:18 PM | |
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Kapiti Coast, New Zealand
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I've been a Pilates instructor for 11 years, an arthritis sufferer for 7 years, and I teach a little bit of barre too. Both Pilates and barre have been great for me and my rheumatologist always tells me to keep doing what I've been doing. It's important to keep those muscles strong to protect the joints.
For a little while my right knee started to hurt and I suspected it could have been the barre workouts - I simply backed off for a while and stuck to floor work until I felt better. The great thing about these two disciplines is that you can scale them down to suit how you're feeling on any given day. If my knees are sore? Perhaps focus on side lying Pilates work instead. Wrists sore? No push ups for me but I can do standing weights work. Shoulders sore? No weights perhaps. Everything too sore? I can still do basic ab work, or just lie on my back and focus on breathing and engaging my deep abdominal muscles. Pilates and barre (and yoga too) get a big fat yes from me! Katie |
01-23-14, 11:26 PM | |
VF Supporter
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: A helluva town
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Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, Judy. My DH has experienced arthritic pain in his neck and back, but since giving up weights and switching to yoga a couple of years ago he's been pain- and incident-free.
I like barre and have plenty of workouts, but like you haven't managed to fully commit. Though some days I'm in the mood for it but boy those moves can hurt! LOL On the whole I tend to prefer Pilates, which I've found gentler when it comes to my knees. Plus I've taken a number of live classes, both mat and reformer, so I feel more at home with the positioning and alignment. Good luck finding a method that reduces your physical stress while challenging your fitness!
__________________
~ Gina ~ "Remain cheerful, for nothing destructive can pierce through the solid wall of cheerfulness." ~Sri Chinmoy "We are so fortunate that we get to exercise!" ~Erin O'Brien |
01-23-14, 11:51 PM | |
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: St. Louis MO
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Just weighing in here, since I have severe bone on bone arthritis of L hip, plus bone spurs around the knees.
Knees -- very important to keep the quads strong or strengthen them more, so instead of squats and lunges, was taught by PT to do knee lifts, 30x over a folded up towel, 30x over a bolster pillow, 30x w/ legs hanging from the edge of the bed. Also did hamstring clenches sitting on the edge of the bed. Only after I had worked on this for several months was I allowed to try slow wall squats, no weight, 2 sets of 10. Barre3, Ballet Beautiful and Callanetics Evolution, also some Core Fusion have been compatible with my situation. Found out I had to do things slowly and carefully, really listen to my body. Not the most interesting way of working out but what the body can get along with for now. Also, have used weight belts on my ankles while lying on the couch watching TV and doing leg lifts and clamshells. For UB, have done weights with dumbbells sitting instead of standing so as not to upset hip and knee. I hope this helps. |
01-24-14, 02:06 AM | |
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Pacific Northwest
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Don't forget Chantal Donnelly's Strong Knees workout--a real boon for those of us with osteo and other knee issues.
I have also found that leg raises to strengthen quads are much more effective than squats and lunges. In fact, squats and lunges hurt my knees more than any other moves. Leslie's workouts actually make my knees feel better. Pilates mat workouts generally put very little stress on the knees (much less than yoga) and would probably be a wise choice. Occasionally there will be instructions to "sit cross-legged", but I just ignore them and sit with straight legs. |
Tags |
arthritis, barre, osteoarthritis |
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