Nearly one in three adults or 66 million people are estimated to have arthritis, which is the second leading cause of disability. Any person at any age can be diagnosed with arthritis, but more women than men are affected.

While the exact cause of rheumatoid arthritis is unknown, The disease causes pain when your immune system attacks your body tissues. Rheumatoid arthritis most often starts in middle age .

Fibromyalgia causes muscle pain and fatigue. People with fibromyalgia have specific places on their body such as the neck, shoulders, back, hips, arms or legs that are tender to the touch. They may also experience insomnia, morning stiffness, headaches, numbness in hands or feet and problems with thinking and memory.

Two recommendations for people with arthritis are to eat healthfully and to get plenty of exercise. According to the Arthritis Foundation, there isn’t enough research to warrant recommendations for specific amounts of certain foods. They do recommend that people with arthritis aim for a healthy weight and make healthy food choices. This means choosing a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and low fat dairy products.

Exercise has many benefits for the person with arthritis. It will strengthen the muscles around the joints, minimize friction between bones, decrease joint swelling and pain and in-crease energy and stamina.

But why would you want to exercise, especially when you suffer from joint pain? Consider what happens if you never try to exercise those painful, stiff joints again? The answer is quite simple:  biology! Since joint cartilage thrives on healthy activity, when you put a joint through its full range of motion, you flush the area with the nutrients that keep it healthy. If you don’t exercise, it starves and crumbles away. When you go for a walk or do an exercise routine, your joints improve.

If ever there were a perfect excuse not to exercise, arthritis pain would seem to be it. But a properly designed exercise program not only decreases pain, but can increase your flexibility and overall fitness.

In addition, the muscles, tendons, ligaments and other assorted soft tissues surrounding your joints need regular exercise or they will shrink, stiffen up and be-come progressively weaker.

Pain relief isn’t the only reason to exercise. Arthritis robs you of mobility and flexibility and exercise is a perfect antidote! You 'll have less stiffness, more flexibility, increase your strength and endurance, and have a healthier heart!

Research shows that people with arthritis can perform gentle stretching and strengthening exercises, as well as more robust activities without any significant risk. Age isn’t a factor either; in fact, the older you are, the more you need to exercise!

Exercise confers an even more direct benefit. When you are active, you "feed" your joints. Cartilage (the tough gristle that protects the ends of bones) depends on joint movement to absorb nutrients and remove waste.

Exercises for the Hands:

       Lay your hand, palm down, on a table, with fingers and thumb extended and touching. Slide your thumb away from your fingers, then slide your index finger toward your thumb (keeping the rest of the hand immobile), your long finger toward your index finger. Do all fingers. Change sides.

Stretch your thumb as far as possible away from your fingers

Holding your wrist, form the letter 'O’ by lightly touching your thumb to each fingertip.

For more exercises, checkout the Canadian Arthritis Society web site at:
            http: www.arthritis.ca