She first noticed aches and pains in her knees and ankles, which she attributed to a lack of stretching and old injuries. However, as the pain escalated, Spencer couldn’t lift her shoulders past 90 degrees and could barely walk down a set of stairs. Determined to compete in the Olympics, Spencer pushed through. However, when the games ended, she needed time to recover and accept her diagnosis.
Canadian Olympic snowboarder and Arthritis Research Canada Spokesperson Spencer O’Brien, was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic autoimmune disease, a few months before competing at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.
She first noticed aches and pains in her knees and ankles, which she attributed to a lack of stretching and old injuries. However, as the pain escalated, Spencer couldn’t lift her shoulders past 90 degrees and could barely walk down a set of stairs. Determined to compete in the Olympics, Spencer pushed through. However, when the games ended, she needed time to recover and accept her diagnosis.
Discover the critical role exercise and strength training play in her life as a professional snowboarder living with arthritis.
How did exercise and/or strength help you get back to the top of your sport?
Initially, I tried to train and perform at the level I did prior to my diagnosis, which caused more harm than good. I had to change my perspective and work with my doctors and trainers to ease back into training differently and find my new “normal.”
Why do you feel it’s important to have strong muscles – as a professional athlete and someone living with rheumatoid arthritis?
Strength training plays a huge role in helping me stabilize my joints. Keeping my body strong and in shape is very valuable – especially for movement and mobility. As I’ve been transitioning to back- country riding, I don’t train as intensely. That said, when I back off on training, I feel the difference. I need structured training in the off-season to protect my body from my illness and sport.
What does your regular fitness/strength training routine involve?
I do three gym sessions per week, including Olympic lifting, a lot of mobility and lengthy warm-ups as I get older. I also do tons of functional movement. I live in Ucluelet, so I surf a lot, which helps with cardio and upper body strength. I pepper in some Pilates, skateboarding and running too. I try to do a variety of exercises but still include three structured sessions per week.
What resources do you turn to for exercising with
arthritis?
When I was reintroducing exercise and training, I didn’t have much information. I was going by feel and working with trainers, physiotherapists and doctors. I wish I had something like Arthritis Research Canada’s I START Tool (a research-backed tool created to help people with arthritis start and continue with strength training) to reassure me. After my diagnosis, I wondered if what I was doing was okay. There was a lot of trial and error.
What would you most want to tell people struggling to get started with exercise and strength training after an
arthritis diagnosis?
Talk to your doctors. Make sure to run things by them before starting anything new. Lean on your community too. There is a lot of support out there. I gained more confidence once I started talking to people in the same boat. It gave me the confidence to get out there and take back my life.
