Exercise Promotes Faster Recovery from Arthritis Surgery
If you are about to undergo knee or hip-surgery for your arthritis, how does the prospect of heading straight to the rehab center sound to you? Would you do anything to avoid having to go to rehab? And it’s not even going to cost you a cent!
Well, almost no cost. You will have to expend some energy doing weight training and exercises designed to help your cardiovascular system. A research study was done on patients who due for hip- or knee-replacement surgery. After dividing them into two groups, an exercise group underwent one-hour exercise sessions on stationary bikes, abdominal strengthening, weights, and stretching. This was similar to a regular program for a normal individual, and was done three times a week at least six weeks before the scheduled surgery. The other group did not do any exercises.
The results: after surgery, only one-third of those who underwent exercise had to go to rehabilitation centers, compared to 53 percent of those who did not exercise. Researchers noted that the six-week exercise period was rather short and not enough to increase muscular strength significantly, but it still provided significant benefits to the participants.
The findings were published in the October issue of Arthritis Care & Research. Researchers underscored the fact that there is no disputing the immense benefits of exercise before surgery. The more exercise you have before going to surgery, the better off you will be.
It is a well established fact that if you’re physically fit you’ll be better able to cope with osteoarthritis. With regular exercise, your muscles and soft tissues gain in strength and become better conditioned. This will protect your joints better and will stabilise your knee, thus minimising your discomfort as you move around.
It seems that even a little preparation before surgery will help. The patients in the exercise group of the study were observed to have gained stability in the functioning of their muscles and the level of pain. On the other hand, those who did not exercise saw their function and pain getting worse. The study team did not discount the possibility that some of the benefits could have come from the increased feeling of confidence and comfort the exercising patients experienced after realising that they could push their muscles and exert themselves to a higher level of physical performance without actually hurting themselves.
Perhaps the best conclusion that can be drawn from the study is that contrary to what the arthritis sufferer may feel, arthritis should not stop you from exercising; instead, it is actually a reason for you to start or to continue exercising.
Gout Treatment
If you have a gout attack, many doctors recommend oral doses of ibuprofen or naproxen, available in both prescription and nonprescription versions, or other anti-inflammatory drugs. If you are taking aspirin, your doctor may recommend that you stop it temporarily. Aspirin can slow the elimination of uric acid and make gout worse. But if you take a low dose of aspirin to prevent other problems such as a heart attack, check with your doctor before stopping it.
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