What are some good exercises for a person who has RA? She is experiencing pain in her hips and hands.
Hi Patience. I had a client with JRA who was a varsity basketball player. I totally agree that you MUST work with your client in conjunction with her physician to make sure that you are working as a team to avoid or minimize flare-ups.
I’m going to take a different tact in answering your question by shedding some light on exercises that you probably ‘shouldn’t’ do in training your client. I’d be extremely careful, if not completely eliminating plyometric exercise from your clients workouts. That type of pounding is generally not good for this condition and could exacerbate flare-ups and pain.
With my client, we worked through this issue in a slow, methodical and safe way because of the necessity of doing this type of training for a basketball athlete. However, we did it with a vigilant eye on her body’s reaction to this type of training, monitored it closely and progressed her very slowly, and as others have alluded to here, every patient/client is different so I would highly advise working with your client’s physician.
Good luck! Above all, work with your client’s treating physician, and follow his/her guidance on how to work with your client (hmmm, did I already say this??? 🙂 I guess I think that’s very important here 🙂
LaRue, CSCS
www.lecfitness.com