Exercise while tapering?

Whatever exercise you can manage without suffering pay-back next day. basically. Start as small as you need and increase very slowly as you get stronger. For arms get a couple of small plastic water bottle and put maybe 100mls water in to start and use them to do some bicep curls - starting with maybe 5 reps the first day. If that works without pain next day, do 6 reps next day. Build up like that - you soon get to a couple of sets of 10 reps. Then start adding a small amount of water - building up slowly in the same way..

But the watchword is SLOW!!

Hi karenjaninaz, last summer over stressing I torn the left hip cartilage, strained piriformis muscle and the SI joint. This year I am still exercising, but not so strenuous; 3 days a week at the YMCA, Silver Sneakers class, weight machines, time on a BOSU and a workout with light weights. I also walk 3 days a well not working out. I am on 3.5 mg get ready to taper to 3 mg on a modified 38 day DSNS schedule. PMR pain free some days after workout I might take Ibuprofen. So far this year journey has been going well, taking easy, building more muscle, better balance and maybe a little more flexible. I don't taper if I have any PMR pain. Good on the rest of your PMR journey, keep up the good work. Still smiling. 🙂

I can't say enough positive things about exercising in a hot tub (or whirlpool) as it relates to shoulder and hip pain and stiffness, as well as back pain. Everyone is different but you might want to try this if you have access to either.

Squatted in the hot tub - head is still above water, I start with what looks like a breast stroke - just arms extended as far back as you can reach. I do 120 of those. Then in the same position, I reverse and reach back as far as I can and bring both arms forward to meet. I do 120 of those.

Then lying back, head still above water, arms bent at a 90 degree angle, I reach straight back over my head with both arms kept at a 90 degree angle as far as possible and do 35 of those. Then with arms still at 90 degrees, but now slanting both arms sideways to 45 degrees, do another 35 of those back over your head.

At the same time I do both of those, I'm stretched out so that I can do a pelvic arch. Every morning, I feel hip pain for about the first 10 which always go away.

Then with 3 pound hand weights in each hand and now seated in the hot tub, I do 120 reaching out as far as I can and return (an elongated horizontal oval). For the first 120, I'm reaching out on top of the oval and coming back below. You will have to work up to this number. This part and the next ones are tough. Then I reverse it and do another 100 but this time, starting out low and coming back high (same elongated horizontal oval).

The next one is hard to describe but this one can be done either in a hot tub or on land. 25 years or so ago, I had herniated disc problem that was so bad that one time in Chicago as I was giving a speech to a large audience, I had to stop and go do about 3-4 minutes of this exercise behind the curtain. Luckily one of my neighbors was one of the top orthopeds in Atlanta and a sports doctor. She taught me this exercise which is actually easier to do in the hot tub but easier to explain on land.

Lie flat on the ground on your stomach as if you are getting ready to do a pushup. But instead, keeping your hips pressed to the ground, you only push up with your arms and arch your back as high as you can and hold it for a few seconds still keeping your hips pressed to the ground. If you feel pain, you should only go to your elbows but as you do it more often, you should get better.

The next one can also it can be done on land as easily as in the hot tub but I do it much more for my hip and back issues than for PMR. Back problems, other than congenital ones, are most often caused by our life styles. Sitting at a computer for hours and hours causes the loss of dorsi. Once again start very slow with only about 15 and do a two or three sets. I now do 45 for the first set and and 25 for second set.

The last one recognizes that 'back problems' are also caused by loss of abdominal core muscle. Whether it's situps or something I do in the hot tub which is a combination of leg lifting and stretching and holding simultaneously tightening legs and abdominal muscles for 20-30 seconds.

Work up to this one as well but I find it's a great way to finish the exercise. I take a shower to get the chlorine out and then I have some oatmeal and raisins before I take my Prednisone plus other meds and supplements (I have elevated BP and high cholesterol both under control).

Then for another 20 minutes, I hook up TENS and you can get the one I use for only about $30 from Amazon.2019 Latest Version Rechargeable Tens Unit Muscle Stimulator Electronic Pulse Massager with 16 Modes and 12 Pads Portable Smart Electro Pain Relief Machine.

This is not meant to be a recommendation for anyone but merely a description what has been working for me.

To me, this source, especially because of Eileen's contributions is of such great value that we should be paying her for her advice, experience, and knowledge.