“I can’t exercise anymore. You see, I have arthritis.”
I’ve had many patients enter my exam room, look me straight in the face and say that.
My mind drifts to some of the videos I’ve seen in the CrossFit Journal that show adaptive athletes and morbidly obese people exercising.
On further questioning, I find the patients are usually referring to hip or knee arthritis—the most common forms of arthritis—and I proceed to ask about their limitations. Most people say they can’t run or walk long distances anymore. I then ask questions about upper-extremity disabilities and abdominal or back issues, and I find that most people don’t have problems in these areas. I then concoct workouts and ask the patients to try them, get the heart rate up and see how they feel afterward.
Read my full article in the CrossFit Journal
Think you can’t work out if you have arthritis? Think again. (iStockphoto.com/rudisill)
D Sean Rockett, M.D., is an orthopedic surgeon and senior partner of 
