Just Plane Stiff

by Linda J. Brown

Posted 2/17/07

Stiff, achy joints and muscles can be felt by anyone who sits through a long airline flight, but especially by those who have arthritis.

"You have to keep moving to keep your joints from getting stiff and painful," says Marilyn Moffat, PhD, professor of physical therapy at New York University. Moffat, who advises walking the aisles as much as possible during flights, developed the following simple moves, each repeated five to 10 times, for the American Physical Therapy Association.

Heel raises. Sit with feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Lift heels off floor, hold for five to 10 seconds and lower heels to the ground.

Ankle circles. While sitting, lift right leg slightly off the ground and circle your foot clockwise. Circle 15 times clockwise and 15 times counterclockwise. Repeat with the left foot.

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Indoor Pool vs Outdoor Pool?

Our Arthritis Support Group of South Lake County, Florida, also is an activist group in our community to help identify and persuade potential donors (corporate and individuals) to build an indoor heated pool on our South Lake Hospital campus in Clermont, FL, for people in our area that need aquatic therapy and exercise since we can not tolerate cold water and land exercise. Go figure – we live in Florida and do not have an indoor pool for winter (It does get cold in Central Florida). Our Arthritis, surgeries, prescribed rehabilitation therapy, pre and post operative needs for aquatic exercise would be most beneficial in an indoor pool facility. An outdoor pool is too cold for people with Arthritis (typically 79-82 degrees). The Arthritis Foundation recommends water to be 83-86 degrees for aquatic exercise to be worthwhile. This is impossible to maintain 12 months out of the year in our area. Now is the time to build our indoor pool! Suggestions are welcome about this special project. Do you have an indoor pool in your area? What is it like? How did you spearhead a project like this one? How does one approach a Hospital Board of Directors and prove this project is worthwhile?