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Exercising With DJD

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - DJD or degenerative joint disease is a problem that occurs as people get older. Many of these people are excellent athletes who have developed joint pain in the knees from years of wear and tear. The classic case is someone who has been a jogger and has spent years running on firm surfaces.

DJD can cause severe pain. Inflammation and swelling is certainly painful but in the worst cases the bones can literally feel like they are pushing against each other.

There are medications for DJD like anti-inflammatories. The one question I often get is what sort of exercise can I participate in without making the pain worse? Remember many of these people were athletes all their lives.

One of the options is swimming.

Swimming is highly underutilized as a form of exercise. From an aerobic standpoint few sports are more demanding than swimming. If you have access to a pool this summer and you suffer from DJD one of the best exercises is walking back and forth in the shallow end, there is far less pressure on the joints because of the buoyancy of water but you will definitely get a workout. Walking in the shallow end and swimming is quite a combination.

Reported By Dr. Brian McDonough, KYW Newsradio Medical Editor

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