Who do you think of when you hear the word ‘arthritis’? An elderly person? Your nan maybe? It’s probably not someone like me, and a few years ago I would have thought the same.
Now, I know differently. I am one of the 7.3million Australians that lives with a musculoskeletal condition, having been diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my knees in 2020. As someone who is extremely passionate about moving my body, the mental toll of this has weighed heavily on me, but four years into my diagnosis I’ve come a long way in figuring out the tools and techniques to keep on movin’.
October is Musculoskeletal Health Awareness Month, a time to talk about the invisible epidemic of musculoskeletal disease, and to help keep more people with these conditions active and thriving. With support, it’s entirely possible to live a fulfilled, happy and active life with a musculoskeletal condition.
What is osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is a musculoskeletal condition that affects the whole joint, including bone, cartilage, ligaments and muscles. Far from an ‘old person’s disease’, osteoarthritis is extremely common in physically active people and professional athletes, around 2.1 million Australians have this condition.
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Commonly – and in my case – the symptoms are pain as I don’t have any cartilage left in my knees, they are bone on bone, so I feel the grinding and crunch in particular exercises like squats and lunges and I can’t run very far anymore. I also experience stiffness and a reduced range of motion. It can be incredibly painful and stressful at times! Especially being a professional trainer!
My checklist for managing musculoskeletal health
Being consistent with my stretching and strength work is key to me staying mobile and managing joint pain and stiffness. As my osteoarthritis is in my knees, keeping my hips mobile is super important. This in turn makes my glutes function better and prevents the imbalances that can challenge my knees.
Similarly, strengthening my quads and hamstrings helps to protect and stabilise my knees, while stretching my hamstring reduces pressure on them.
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Seated sessions can still be a serious workout!
If you also have osteoarthritis in your knees, welcome to the club! Three exercises I wouldn’t skip are seated leg raises that really work the quads, seated band abductions to work the glutes and a seated hamstring stretch to make sure my hammies are happy at all times to support my knees.
When it comes to any movement though, consistency is key, so the best exercises are the ones you enjoy and that you can consistently do. For people with more limited mobility this might mean chair-based exercise, where a workout is completed while people are mostly seated or using the support of a chair. This is such an underrated way to work within your body’s safe zone to still get moving and get a great workout in.
I’m supporting the attempt to set a world record for the biggest ever chair-based exercise class at the ‘World’s Biggest Sit In’ to help more people understand the value of chair based exercise and raise awareness for musculoskeletal health. Some of the best exercises to do using a chair are seated boxing for heart health, thoracic stretches such as book openers or forward and backward reaches to open up the upper back that can become strained when we hunch and work at a desk or in front of a computer, seated hip abductions – squeezing our knees against our hands for resistance to strengthen our hips and glutes. I also love working the core with seated bicycle crunches, dead bugs and alternating toe taps. But nothing beats a really great seated thoracic rotation stretch against the chair to unravel the spine or a seated neck stretch to release tension.
Why is staying active so important for sufferers?
Consistent strength and stretching can go a long way in alleviating some of the symptoms you might experience with a musculoskeletal condition like osteoarthritis. There’s no cure for this condition so working to control and manage your symptoms is a great step forward, as well as seeking out supplements to support your joint health. It’s not all about the physical though, I know as well as anyone that the pain of these conditions can really get you down.
The mental health benefits of movement are well known, and you don’t need to be running marathons to reap these rewards. Regular movement – chair based or otherwise – can keep you feeling positive, energised, and ready to tackle the day’s challenges.
Tiff Hall has teamed up with Musculoskeletal Health Australia and Epijoint for the World’s Biggest Sit-In record breaking attempt on Thursday October 31. Sign up here to support the cause either virtually or at the Melbourne Event.
