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Question
14 Jan 2004
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EXERCISES FOR ARTHRITIS
My father of 70 is a hemiplegic and has arthritis in his knees. He now wants to start riding on exercise cycle. Would this have any benefit or would it make the arthritis worse?
FitnessDoc
Hi there
All things considered, I would actually recommend that you and your father look into starting an exercise programme in consultation with either a doctor or a biokineticist. There is more to it than just arthritis of course. For arthritis alone, exercise is very beneficial, provided it’s not done at a high intensity which can worsen the condtion. Gentle cycling would be a good option. However, in your father’s case, a more complex situation exists because he is hemiplegic and because he is starting exercise at age 70. I think that this is a very noble thing, and I would encourage him to be active, but only with great care – heart problems, injury, etc are all much bigger factors at 70 than they would be for a 30 year old. So, all things considered, I certainly think that a doctor or a biokineticist would be best placed to advise and help him start up.
Good luck
All things considered, I would actually recommend that you and your father look into starting an exercise programme in consultation with either a doctor or a biokineticist. There is more to it than just arthritis of course. For arthritis alone, exercise is very beneficial, provided it’s not done at a high intensity which can worsen the condtion. Gentle cycling would be a good option. However, in your father’s case, a more complex situation exists because he is hemiplegic and because he is starting exercise at age 70. I think that this is a very noble thing, and I would encourage him to be active, but only with great care – heart problems, injury, etc are all much bigger factors at 70 than they would be for a 30 year old. So, all things considered, I certainly think that a doctor or a biokineticist would be best placed to advise and help him start up.
Good luck
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