Arthritis? Really?

 Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Larry Gruber, and I'm 43 and have been a certified personal trainer for the past 13 years. I've run 3 marathons (Chicago Marathon-Personal Best: 3:31) and have worked out regularly for 18 years. The winter of 2010 changed my life forever.

That January, my body systemically and progressively began to revolt. I became tight and inflamed from head to toe and lost range of motion. My hands began to cramp while doing simple things like wringing out a sponge or trying to wash my back. They were so weak and sensitive that I couldn't shake hands without wincing. I had trouble opening up jars of food, and I couldn't even do a pull up or hand my clients their dumbbells or rack their weights. My feet ached. I had pain behind my left knee and it hurt to walk.

Each day exhausted me and mornings were especially painful. Getting out of bed was torture. I would sit on the edge of my bed, anticipating the pain that would inevitably ensue when my feet hit the floor-pain and stiffness as I hobbled to the bathroom every morning. Climbing into bed was a bigger adventure because my hip flexors were so tight that I could no longer lift my knee to the mattress. I was reduced to doing a face-plant onto the bed, reaching over to the other side, and then pulling myself up the rest of the way.

By April, I was exhausted from being in constant pain. After four months, six doctors and tons of money flying out of my wallet, I was finally diagnosed: psoriatic arthritis. The flood works began right there is the doctor's office. What kind of disease is this? How am I going to be a personal trainer if I can't even move? Arthritis? Really? Yes, really. Psoriatic arthritis is a chronic disease that causes the body's immune system to attack healthy cells and tissues. This leads to joint inflammation and loss of range of motion, and permanent joint damage will result if left untreated.

There is no cure for psoriatic arthritis, but the condition can be controlled with medicine. The doctor outlined all of the medical options for me and explained that a disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug,which suppresses the immune system, would be my best be. Within the first week, I noticed relief.

It's been over three years since my first injection. I began to feel much- needed relief within the first week after the initial injection and very slowly began exercising again. I now have returned to a regular workout schedule, but my attitude about working out and personal training is different. Do what you can. Push yourself hard. And listen; really listen, to your body. Know when enough is enough. The experience of being diagnosed and of living with a chronic disease has taught me to be the best I can be and to have realistic goals. No longer do I want to look like that cover model on the latest fitness magazine; now I want to live an active and pain-free life. We should exercise so that we can perform our activities of daily living with greater ease-looking good in the mirror is a by-product of that hard work, not the main reason for the hard work. This is one lesson I learned the winter of 2010, and a lesson I try to instill in my clients.