Advice on starting fitness

Yin yoga is awesome. :D

Like you, I have severe psoriatic arthritis. I have lost 2 hips, 1 knee, a shoulder, and a spinal disc. Arthritis and working out are adverse to one another. For years I hired trainers and worked out pushing through the pain until it got so bad that I quit working out because I was forced to. Your physical Therapist is the best resource for how you strengthen the muscles adjacent to the joint. You want to make sure you develop the muscle and not destroy the knee. I have made the mistake of developing the muscle regardless of the joint, which ultimately led me Because of that you need the professional to guide you to strengthening that area until you are told you can start working out with weights. Initially, physical therapy will be overly simplistic, but in the long run, it is the route to take. In preparation for my sleeve surgery on November 29, I worked with physical therapy and learned a lot about how I should approach working out without destroying any more of my body. The plan that I was on started with tracking steps that I walk every day. Getting 4000 steps was very difficult for me, but it prepared my body to starting walking, which I received a lot of guidelines around speed and distance, as well as how to listen to my body and my joints so that I can become aware of potential damage that may be occurring. I am now lifting 3 times a week and walking the dog. I have to say though, that I pushed it too far recently so I am only able to build my upper body, while my joints in my legs recover. Even though I cannot work the muscles of my legs, the foundation of walking the and counting steps still applies. I cannot walk the dog right now, but I am tracking steps. Hope this helps!

Matt

My right knee is completely end-stage and will not bend or straighten fully. Despite that, I cycle 60 minutes a day broken up into 30 minute segments. I built up to that over the past several years. So, it's possible!

I actually was in PT so much they joked I needed a cot to sleep at there, and that was before I was 40. Honestly, PT helped me the most in learning how to walk again post-super-huge-obesity days. They helped me adjust my gait to normal, and also helped me come up with routines for the gym and at home. I was dubious about PT at first, however it got me from barely walking in 2015 to being able to walk whole city blocks without blinking, even needing joint replacements.

The PT will tailor your leg exercises for your needs...they examine how your leg moves, or doesn't, and will come up with a custom plan. I still do mine from 2 years ago, and they work great :)

I love physical therapy. I don't love needing physical therapy.. but PT has gotten me through so many things over the years.

I've heard water aerobics is good. It's cold where I am, but if you have an indoor pool around, apparently it is awesome for people with ortho issues.

I have knee issues as well. I had a recent fall and busted open my bursa and have been in PT ever since. My suggestion is to work with your physical therapist on an aggressive at home program to rehab your knees. You need to ensure you have a strong base of support for your knees before you progress or you will increase your pain (and likelihood of injury) and be less likely to stick to an exercise program. Once your knees are rehabbed, one of the best exercises for getting in shape without taxing your knees is swimming and/or water aerobics. Good for you for getting going with PT. That is the right first step!

Hey! What I really recommend is swimming, but without your legs! I broke my left kneecap when I was sixteen and was told then that I would need it replaced before the age of 30. I just turned 38 and have the same knee and it looks like it should stay that way for awhile, and I attribute that to swimming! However, for now while it's too sore for any kind of extra stress, here's what I suggest: there's a floaty thing out there that many pools have that's two floats attached on a rope that's joined in the middle, like an 8, and what you do is hold it between your knees while you swim. It has the double benefit of keeping your legs afloat while you're not using them to kick, and also makes sure that you keep your legs stationary. You can still get in a great cardio workout just using your arms, and even just having the water take 50% of the weight off your legs will help your knees. Good luck!

My husband has very bad knees that require surgery. He rides the bike for exercising so it doesn't put pressure on his knees.