Efficacy of swimming

Thanks for sharing -- one of our RA Health Leaders Janiel shared her love of swimming (along with a couple of other exercises) that are especially easy on the joints! https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/joint-friendly-summer-activities Warmly, - Reggie, RheumatoidArthritis.net team member

Hi . Absolutely! My wife, Kelly Mack (a contributor here), was diagnosed at age two, 45 years ago - before modern treatments, with the damage to show for it (she has used a wheelchair since her teens). She works extremely hard to maintain her mobility and strength and does all kinds of exercises, from Zumba to chair boxing, and they definitely help. The proof (as the saying goes), however, is in the pudding - nothing holds a candle to aqua therapy. The increase in strength and mobility is measurable - literally. During the winter her access to a pool was cut off due to a maintenance closure at our community pool. Her rheumatologist wrote her a script so she could do some therapy at a hospital pool. They did some physical measurements before and after only 10 sessions and there was quite an improvement. She did extra of the other exercise during the break from the pool, but the pool still made a demonstrable difference. Are you able to get regular pool time? Wishing you the best. Richard (RheumatoidArthritis.net Team)

As a newbie I can tell you swimming, even before diagnosis, has been my savior. I live in a warm climate and have a backyard pool. When the weather is good I do 30-40 laps per day. I feel 1000x better when I do. When I can’t (like this weekend with cold and rain) my RA symptoms are way worse. My rheumy said keep swimming every day when you can.