24th January 2022
- Hours: 2
- Cumulative Hours: 2
Participants
- 10
Education
- Introduction to the programme
- Introducing yourself to the group
- The importance of goal setting
- What is Joint Pain?
- Different types of joint pain
- Risk factors for joint pain
Exercise Class – 2 x CV circuit
CV Circuit
- Warm Up – 3 x 30s each exercise
- Marching on the spot
- Half Squats
- Arm Circles
- Chest Swings
- Torso Rotations
- Main Session 30 secs on, 30 secs rest x 3
- Marching on the spot
- Squats
- Hands to toes > hands to sky
- Boxing
- Side Steps
- Warm Down – Static Stretches, 30 secs per muscle group
- Glutes
- Hamstrings
- Back
- Chest
- Shoulders
Analysis & Evaluation
- Participants all have varying capabilities so it was really important to have regressed exercise options pre-planned to ensure that the delivery of the session was smooth. Most participants were surprise, particularly those who performed more chair based options, at how much exercise they could do sat down.
- During the education session, participants openly shared their experience of living with joint pain. As more people shared, the more individuals realised similarities with their own condition. It was easy to see that the group made strong connections very early on which I believe it was a result of sharing their personal experiences.
- Almost all participants were surprised that a high sugar diet is a risk factor for joint pain. In the weeks that followed it then became clear that no dietary advice had ever been offered to participants in regards to trying to managing their joint pain.
- “But more than anything, it is the Western-type diet, rich in energy intake, total and saturated fat, an unbalanced ratio of n-3 to n-6 fatty acids, high in refined carbohydrates and sugar and low in fiber and antioxidants, that might increase the risk of RA, both
directly through increasing inflammation and indirectly through increasing insulin resistance and obesity” (Rondanelli, et al., 2020, p.677). - We spent some time discussing how sugar is not the only dietary risk factor; however, as many of the participants also have an obese BMI reading and high waist measurements it is important to highlight sugar as this could also help reduce risk of developing diabetes.
- “But more than anything, it is the Western-type diet, rich in energy intake, total and saturated fat, an unbalanced ratio of n-3 to n-6 fatty acids, high in refined carbohydrates and sugar and low in fiber and antioxidants, that might increase the risk of RA, both
Conclusion
- Overall, the first two sessions went well. However, one participant is severely restricted with their joint pain. They are currently waiting for a hip replacement and in hindsight the programme may not have been suitable for her. In saying this, she was one of the most engaged members of the group and reported incorporating sit to stands into her days at home. I think a blended approach of education and exercise helps to make the programme more accessible, even for the most restricted, and has highlighted that patient education is just as important in rehabilitation.
Revisiting Reflection
References
- Rondanelli, M., Perdoni, F., Peroni, G., Caporali, R., Gasparri, C., Riva, A., Petrangolini, G., Faliva, M. A., Infantino, V., Naso, M., Perna, S., & Rigon, C. (2021). Ideal food pyramid for patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A narrative review. Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland), 40(3), 661–689. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2020.08.020