Any MA good for rheumatoid arthritis?

[Tae Kwon Doughboy]

My wife has just been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Are any of the MAs good for reducing the affects or reversing rheumatoid arthritis?

 

[Paul Genge]

I have seen practicioners of Systema overcome all sorts of joint problems using the strength and breathing drills that are an integral part of the system. On one course one of the new students explained that the doctor had only given him a few months until he would need a hip replacement. Michael Ryabko told him to practice slow squats with the feet parrallel every day.

This exercise is done without the use of weights and the back is kept straight and the hips are tucked under. Also the heels are kept on the floor.

The explanation of how this cures the injury was that some exercises and martial arts cause the muscles that keep the joints together to become overly loose. This causes a gap between the surfaces of the joint, which become rough in an attempt to fill the new space. In the case of a hip injury the squat with the foot parrallel tightens the muscle that need to be strong and this pulls the joint back into place. Of course there is still the problems of the rough surfaces on the joints, but these will simply wear smooth.

When I say slow squats I am talking about making one squat last upto a minute or even longer if you have the strength.

A year later I saw the same person who appeared injury free. When asked he said that he had no problems with his hips due to the exercises he had been shown.

Also the use of mobility exercises over static stretching will improve the range of motion on effected joints and increase the amount of fluid in them. The best person to see about injury treatment is Michael Ryabko. He is a gold mine of information on the subject and is worth a visit no matter where he is teaching.

Paul Genge
http://www.russianmartialart.org.uk

 

[Mark Weiser]

Honestly from a Medical point of view (me being a nurse) I would suggest Tai Chi since it has excellent internal qualities and helps with vitally and joints. Making the body move and using the joints would help a lot for you additionally I would consult with your Doctor before starting any MA program to see how viable this is as an option for your wife.

It depends on how severe the medical condition is and your current medical regime with mediciations and treatments.

 

[GAB]

Hi,
I will second what Mark say's. There are some good meds out there to help,
then you should make sure you are not going to increase the discomfort by overdoing.
Tai Chi, would be the one for me, also. The need to be totaly upfront with the school master is a must.

Regards, Gary

 

[Kembudo-Kai Kempoka]

Taijiquan. Rheumatoid Arthritis isn't a degenerative disorder, per se. It is a rheumatologic/immune disorder, in which the immune system misidentifies connective tissues as belonging to "other" rather than "self", and atacks them accordingly. Stress levels play a significant role in the severity and longevity of attacks. Taiji will help your wife find the internal place of the silent witness, which will give her a new frame of reference from which to percieve life events and respond to them with focus and choice.

Dr. Dave

 

[lhommedieu]

Tai Qi Quan. A good teacher is a must.

Best,

Steve Lamade

 

[Tae Kwon Doughboy]

Thanks for the input. I love Tai Chi myself, but right now I'm doing Tae Kwon Do right now. I know from experience how much it helps stress, range of motion, joint pain, etc. I could not do TKD now if I hadn't done Tai Chi for a couple years. She knows this too.

I've encouraged my wife to try Tai Chi many times but she has no interest. Twice she has said she wanted to and we went through a few minutes of basic warmups to start out easy. Then when I'd ask in the following days she wouldn't "have time for it" anymore.

She doesn't have any interest in healthy eating either. This is very frustrating for me because I know her quality of life could be better with even a little effort. Anyway, I'll see having RA may be the catalyst for her to do something.

Thanks again.

 

[Feisty Mouse]

Some of her disinterest may be a lurking depression. Several family members have rheumatoid arthritis, and, perhaps understandably, they become quite glum.

I'm not sure if backing off for a while will get her to seek out some helpful exercise, or if she would do better with you being her cheerleader and encouraging her to practice. Whatever would motivate her in a positive way. A diagnosis like that can make someone quite depressed and almost apathetic.

Good luck - I wish both of you the best.

 

[lhommedieu]

In lieu of learning an entire Tai Qi form - why not try a Tai Qi Quan (or other internal martial arts) teacher or Chinese medicine practitioner who teaches shorter Qi Gong movements that are geared towards maintaining health. Forms like Eight Brochade, for example, help to preserve range of motion in the joints without irritating or inflaming them.

Best,

Steve

 

[Tae Kwon Doughboy]

Thanks for the support.

Feisty Mouse, If it's depression related it probably not from RA. She was very active when we got married 20 years ago but like her dad and grandmother she just sits around, eats junk and won't exercise. She is supportive of me by making sure I get what's on my diet and coming to TKD testing or getting me books and videos but she won't do it for herself.

Unlike her mom, I don't harp on her or anything like that. It's more like by example. She knows how much diet and exercise have done for me. She'll say something about feeling bad and I'll comfort her and sometimes mention that I remember feeling that way before Tai Chi. I haven't been to the chiropractor in years and no rarely suffer anything more than muscle soreness. She see's the results but won't try it. I've offered to quit TKD and do Tai Chi together at a local school.

We walked for a few weeks years ago and she noticed she started feeling better and then quit.

 

[Kenpodoc]

Chi gong and Taiji are the obvious eastern MA approaches to motion that would be extremely helpful. I agree with Paul Genge that Systema would be a good western approach that could be individualized to her needs. More importantly she needs to stay active despite the pain and discomfort. This means that she will need to find something that she likes and start increasing her activity. Dance class, walking, swimming whatever. If she is depressed the activity will likely also help the depression. Unfortunately it is difficult to motivate people who are not inclined to be active. Just remember that she is going to be unlikely to maintain any program that she doesn't find enjoyable.

Swimming is particularly good do to the floatation and decreased joint trauma. (RA is not strictly a degenerative problem but it accelerates the process.) Swimming won't be fun unless she learns to do it well, however. Check out the Total Immersion site for advice on Swimming

Good Luck,

Jeff

 

[Tae Kwon Doughboy]

Thanks

 

[Blooming Lotus]

martially taiji ( taijiquan / tai chi ) , any qigong including bagua zhang or just some plain old silk reeling and warm ups alah chen style, will no doubt help.

I'm half looking into this for a future thesis component myself ( stretches / bodily fluid / joint repair / protein - sulfuric gluco / ph bio fluidic balance and tissue repair and construction etc) , and I sincerely believe it's a combination of both diet and stretching / light exercise.

I have seen many documentaries in this regard, but one that stands out was one on a woman 90 ish yrs old who was diagnosed with the same thing...... they told her to rest and she decided to take up pilates. That was 30 + yrs ago and she is now so healthy , the dear old grams is not only an instructor herself but practically a contortionist god bless her !!

I have theories on stretch therapy myself, but either yoga or pilates will almost definately help your wife out here .

Msm as a dietary supplement is also a great joint repair product! it works on principals of sulfur rebalance and heat / destablisation and cleansing of your intestinal contents respectively changing the quality , viscosity and ph of your bio-fluids and how they respectively stimulate various micro celluar reactions.
If you're anything like myself, and prefer more natural / less chemical cocktailed means, you can re-create the same effect via upping your soluable protein intake ( being that's where we find the bulk of our sulfur ) ( like fish / eggs as best source / milk / cheeeses / duck is a great one to occassionally incorperate / and maybe even a protein shake) ........

the reason being because joint repair is directly relative to sulfur in our bodies...unfortunately unless we OD ( over dose ) on the rdi ( reccommeded daily intake ) of protein, you won't get the sufficient amount for total immune repair ( also being somewhat relative to lymphocites ( or toxin clusters / white blood cells ) .....

protein however will tend to make us sleepy in high portions so to combat this utilising principals of catabolism ( non absorbtion into tissues and fibres etc) , and incorperating a protein cutter like hot and cold water and the heating aspect directly after (or with) protein consumption from a short shot ( 20 mls ish dry or straight ) or 2 even of the highest proof alcohol on hand ( red wine failing that)......... you will cause a very rapid and unique break down process of enzymes and your body will absorb only what is neccessary to produce this msm type principal........

to complete the effect , add a cup and it's refill of a lipid balancing tea or green tea of an evening.......... do one cold and strong in the morning ........ making sure to incorperate your wet fruit and unstarched veg fibers........and you have the same effect, but all natural.

Just beware to limit that alcohol intake to 2 shots in the morn, + 1 at night as a total max ( 2 per first hour and 1 each hour there after being safest recommended consumption ) and not only should she not get drunk from it ( being it's too cushioned in the proteinic enyzme and absorbtion is greatly lessened to near irrelevant quantity ...as opposed to anobolic metabolisation) .providing she keeps up 1.5 lt water comsumption daily and preferrably of a night ........there's no reason she should ever end up drunk nor lacking repair system function...........

not from these means anyway

Either way, at min, try her out on the stretch / pilates incorperation and she'll be back to better health in no time :asian:

cheers

BL

 

[TerryC]

My 28 year old son has been battling this for the past 5 years also. I recommended that he try to find a genuine tai chi instructor and try to learn it for both the "soft" exercise and also for the relaxation benefits. He just moved to Mesa Arizona, so I'm sure he could find a good teacher there.

His problem is that after working 8 hours of which at least half is on his feet, he has nothing left for anything but resting. Incidentally, he has been on Remicaide for the past 6 months with no side effects, and it has helped his quality of life tremendously. Sadly, I expect him to be completely disabled in another 5 years. I know he has depression, as he used to train in both tai kwon do and kempo since he was about 5 years old, and was quite active. He successfully completed the S.C state police physical training academy about a month after his diagnosis. It was all downhill from there.