Good Morning All! I am in search of advice on “over-exercising” This is certainly a switch from my usual state of underexercising, lol!
I’m 63 years old, diagnosed with PsA several years ago, managing the condition with methotrexate and leflunomide. Both my knees were replaced due to the disease. I started doing yoga soon after my first knee, and it has done wonders for me. I gradually increased the number of classes I attended each week and was feeling very strong. The studio recently added two yoga with weights classes, bringing me up to five classes weekly. Although I was using very light weights, the base of my left thumb has become so inflamed that it is very painful to move - and it’s my good hand! Thought I had injured it, but despite my babying it (not using any weights, modifying all poses requiring weight on my hands) it just isn’t getting better. I’m thinking that makes it a PsA flare, rather than an injury?
Is it possible to do too much exercise? I am absolutely not a fitness veteran, but I don’t want to wimp out either if i should just power through. Advice, please?
At 63 years old my guess would be osteoarthritis in the basal joint. It’s a super common joint for arthritis to develop in even without underlying disease.
You may want to go easy on positions that cause pain in that joint. You can also ask for a prescription for occupational therapy for that.
Hi, Susan,
The cartilage is probably worn away. I had severe pain in that joint in my left hand for a long time and ended up with the joint looking deformed. Fortunately, it stopped hurting and I only get a twinge of pain now and then. When it was bad, it felt like a nail was being driven into the joint and it would nearly bring me to tears.
The pain will determine whether or not you should use the joint. A hand/wrist support works really well to stabilize it. Alternating icing with heat helps too. Voltaren gel helps somewhat. It is some of the worst pain I’ve had—the pain in my other small joints doesn’t get that intense.
I’m 62, me too, agree with others it’s probably OA.
Really damn painful & also inconvenient.
As one of the few advantages of being a human is having opposable thumbs I always worry about how I"m going to manage if they get even worse. However so far I find that the pain lingers for up to a few weeks after overuse, but does go eventually.
Hand OTs can be very helpful re. exercises, supportive gloves etc. I’d recommend seeing one. They don’t have a magic wand though so you need to analyse the yoga moves to identify which ones put too much pressure on the joint.
Thank you! I think the pain is lessening, which is a confirmation of overuse. I know exactly what poses would set it off, so - sigh! - so my ego will have to take a back seat, and stop trying to be the most accomplished yoga granny, lol!
Susan
Thank you! I’m actually kinda hoping it is “just” osteoarthritis that I aggravated with too much pressure, rather than a PsA destruction of the joint. My plan is to continue yoga, favouring my old-lady joint!
Susan
I hear you, but osteo will more or less destroy the joint too. I would greatly encourage you to see a hand therapist. They can also make a custom splint. So much better than an over the counter splint generally
Stoney is so right. The ‘just’ osteoarthritis thing is understandable when it comes from people with inflammatory arthritis, but OA can be a mean old so & so, particularly as there is no medication that is proven to slow it. The fact that it predominantly affects older people as a side effect of ageing can be used to downplay its impact on our lives, in my view.
I too tend to think ‘just OA’ in relation to the thumb joint, but I can see it could put me out of business quite literally! I need my hands, as we all do. So really we do need to take steps to minimise the damage and to learn how to protect that joint, it’s vital.
I wasn’t meaning to downplay the seriousness (or the pain) of osteoarthritis, but the PsA has been soooooo outside my control or understanding - and so scary in its potential. An age and wear issue is easier to grasp. Thanks for checking on me, ladies.