I haven’t been able to exercise at all. Everything hurts and just getting my essentials done has been too much these last five years. Doing the beginning tai chi moves is like a super stretch and ,so far, I just do what I can and it seems to help with pain.
Hi Dot,
I've been doing Tai Chi for many years so I've got no excuse for still not remembering the sequence! When I started I was under the impression that I was fit & well (not quite so sure in retrospect) but anyway I was quite well enough to find it boring on the grounds that I preferred aerobic exercise. I stuck at it though 'cos there's not a lot to do in our village!
After PsA was diagnosed, or at least once I was mobile enough to go to classes again, I started seeing Tai Chi in a whole new light, it soon became apparent that it is perfect for PsA. The gentleness suits me fine but in fact that's quite deceptive because it actually is a proper work out as I'm sure you'll agree. The form I do, Moy Tai Chi, focuses on how you are using your body when you do the moves, not on simply learning to do them so they look right. Everything's done with 'intention' i.e. almost as if pushing through water in a pool.
I find that when I start doing the moves some types of pain start up or increase, especially a burning sensation in my feet. At times that's intense. But after a while the pain disappears and it tends to stay gone for the rest of the day. Long car journeys (which I love - in theory!) are tough on me. If I can find a quiet spot on the way I'll do a few moves, oblivious to the 'look' of it but just focusing on deliberate, smooth movements and transferring weight smoothly too. Just 10 minutes is usually enough to unlock me after I've stiffened up.
A lot of rheumatology departments seem to recommend Tai Chi. I'm thinking of trying to set up a class of my own as we're moving soon & I don't think there is a Moy Tai Chi group in the new town.
You are way ahead of me! I’m in a modified beginner class that even has instructions for use with a walker. I’m glad to find it. My husband is Indian and Indian health puts on this class. I notice that some things bother my bursitis in the hips and shoulder problems but overall the best thing I’ve found in years. Glad to hear that you’ve had success with it.
I'm not sure that experience confers any extra health benefits as such but I wouldn't be surprised if the moves hurt your hips and shoulders less over time. One of the things I like about Tai Chi is how easily inclusive it is. One of the best teachers around here has Parkinson's Disease and at one workshop there was a woman in her late 90s who could do certain moves rather more easily than I can.
Good to meet another Tai Chi-er Dot!
Dot said:
You are way ahead of me! I'm in a modified beginner class that even has instructions for use with a walker. I'm glad to find it. My husband is Indian and Indian health puts on this class. I notice that some things bother my bursitis in the hips and shoulder problems but overall the best thing I've found in years. Glad to hear that you've had success with it.