The Swing: My Experience of the Emotional/Physical Benefits of Swinging with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Do you remember that feeling you had when you were riding on a swing as a child? I know that I certainly do.

I clearly remember in my childhood the feeling I had as I was soaring in the air. The wind hitting my face and my body. Soaring and looking up at the perfectly created blue sky and fluffy white clouds.

It was, for me, one of the best feelings in my life. The sense of pure exhilaration and freedom.

Rediscovering the joys of swinging

Earlier this year in April, I was walking at a local park. As I was walking, I saw a swing set. Not unusual at a park. However, this time I stopped and stared at it.

The memories of childhood popped back into my head. I walked past the swing and then found myself walking around the loop again in the park.

I ended up right back to where the swing set was. Again, I stared at it. Thankfully, not many people were in the park to witness me having this experience.

Positive emotional and physical benefits

The next thing I know, I optimistically and very gingerly sat on the swing and began to slowly swing back and forth.

All of the sudden, all of the feelings I had as a child came flooding back to me. It was actually quite an emotional experience for me.

Ever since then, I try to swing daily. For me, swinging helps calm me, keep up my balance and coordination, strengthen my abdomen and legs, and helps to improve my posture and overall mood.

4 things to consider when swinging with RA

1. Time of day: I choose to swing in the early morning or late afternoon/early evening. This helps me to avoid the strongest sun of the day.
2. Protect yourself from the sun: I wear sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, and UV protectant clothing. Many of us with multiple autoimmune diseases and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are on medications that make us more sensitive to the sun. So, please be cautious when swinging outdoors.
3. Choose a swing that best suits your abilities.
4. After using the swing, make sure to sanitize and or wash your hands thoroughly.

3 tips for choosing the right swing you

1. Regular U-shaped swings. These are readily available in most public park settings. If there is a day that you feel you can support yourself and have enough grip to grasp the chains of the swing, then this may be a good swing to use. Remember you control how long, how fast, and how high you swing. So, the sky is the limit for you.
2. Hanging chair/hammock swing. There are various levels of support in these chairs that you can purchase. If you require a bit more support, then this might be the type of swing for you. I did a quick search online and found chairs ranging from $30.00 to $100.00+. These chairs are also a great option if you have an area in your patio or yard to put the swing.
3. Wheelchair-accessible swings. There are a very small number of parks that are wheelchair accessible that have these available for use. These are a great option for individuals to use while in their wheelchairs. Two styles that I came across in my research were the ADA wheelchair swing platform with a frame ($3,000.00) and the wheelchair platform swing with a frame ($2,100.00).

The simplest things bring the most joy

I really hope everyone in my RheumatoidArthritis.net family enjoyed this article. I had a blast writing about my experience swinging. I’ve learned that, with RA, it’s the simplest things in life that bring me the most joy.

Please let me know if anyone is interested in learning some of the exercises I do while I am on the swing. I would be happy to write a follow up to this article. Have fun and be safe!