12/27/2023 0 Comments Young adult walking at a brisk pace"There are some circumstances," he says, "in which your body can produce so much of these natural opioids that you actually get some sense of euphoria" - hence the term runner's high, a phenomenon athletes have long described.ĭehne's initial hesitancy to start walking is pretty typical of arthritis patients, according to exercise physiologist Kirsten Ambrose, program manager for the Osteoarthritis Action Alliance at the University of North Carolina. In addition to other mechanisms still being worked out, natural opioids are thought to bind to the same receptors in the brain as opioid painkillers, Kolber says, but without the complications or potential for addiction. "Exercise engages the endogenous opioid system," he says, "so our bodies make opioids and use these opioids to decrease pain." Neuroscientist Benedict Kolber with Duquesne University in Pittsburgh says exercise may also cause changes in the brain that can make a big difference in damping down pain. The fluid inside the joint flows into and out of the cartilage like a sponge, so all the nutrients in the joint fluid get into the cartilage" and help slow any degradation there. "So the way it gets nutrition is by dynamic motion - putting weight off and on as you walk and move. "Cartilage doesn't have a blood supply but does have living cells," she explains. Virginia Byers Kraus, a professor at Duke University's Molecular Physiology Institute who serves on the research and medical committees of the Arthritis Foundation. "Movement is essential for nutrition of the cartilage," says Dr. Her knees, she says, "don't hurt me anymore."įor starters, building up surrounding muscles helps stabilize the hurting joint and also increases lubrication of the cartilage. Now Dehne briskly walks for exercise and enjoyment multiple times a week. On the advice of a co-worker, Dehne joined a six-week program through which she learned how to safely walk to ease her pain. I can do that - I can walk to the third floor of my building.' " "I look up at them and say, 'Oh yeah, that's OK. "They don't hurt me anymore." And stairs? No problem. "My knees feel like they did when I was young," Dehne says. She feels great being out in nature, breathing fresh air, taking in the scenery and talking to neighbors. She started out with 15- to 20-minute walks today, Dehne walks about 40 minutes five times a week. "I wasn't as out of breath, and my mood started to improve." "I mean literally, after a few days, I started to feel looser in my joints," she says. In the beginning she felt stiff, tired and out of breath. The woman working in the cubicle next to hers ran a program that encouraged people with osteoarthritis to start walking to help reduce their pain.ĭehne was skeptical but felt she was just too young to be burdened by this disease she agreed to give brisk walks a try. Luckily for her, she says, she worked at the Thurston Arthritis Research Center at the University of North Carolina. Shots - Health News Get Off The Couch Baby Boomers, Or You May Not Be Able To Laterĭehne was diagnosed around age 40 with osteoarthritis in both knees, a painful swelling and deterioration of the cushioning cartilage in those joints that reduces their range of motion. Just climbing stairs was painful - "sometimes to the point where I would have to hold on to the banister to help myself up," she says, "and I couldn't even extend my leg." At times, it felt as though the ligaments in her knees "were tearing." Just a year and a half ago, Dehne pretty much avoided any physical movement she didn't have to make. She says her commitment to exercise is relatively recent. Dehne is 44, lives in Chapel Hill, N.C., and works as a business officer in the office of the executive vice chancellor at the University of North Carolina. But in fact, researchers find the opposite is true: The right kind of exercise can help reduce pain. Some fear that physical activity will make their pain worse. Back then, just climbing stairs was very painful, she says, and exercising seemed out of the question.įor people who live with chronic pain, getting up, out and moving can seem daunting. Emma Dehne, who lives in Chapel Hill, N.C., had debilitating pain in her knees, starting around age 40, and was ultimately diagnosed with osteoarthritis.
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