Exercise program helps ease arthritis pain

Combining weight training, flexibility exercises, aerobics and education, the Fit and Strong program is helping senior arthritis patients regain mobility and, for some like Oleksy, wean themselves from their dependence on medications.

Developed by Susan Hughes, director of the Center for Research on Health and Aging at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the eight-week program concentrates on the lower extremities -- a sore spot for many arthritis patients -- using ankle weights, exercise bands and treadmills.

"The strength training using the ankle weights is a unique feature of our program," said Pankaja Desai, project manager of Fit and Strong. "We've found that the weights actually strengthen the muscles in the lower extremities, which help release the pressure on the joints. People rely less on the joints and more on the muscles."