, "15":"advice the expert Lena Dixon, senior musculoskeletal physiotherapist, and Saskia Walker, clinical specialist physiotherapist, both from London Bridge Hospital, answer your questions i have arthritis and want to get fit what are the best forms of exercise? sarah Fletcher, nottingham someone suggested i should do strength training to help with my arthritis. i am not sure, and dont want to damage my joints further any advice? Felicity hope, via email Lena dixon answers: When exercising with arthritis, the most important thing is to not aggravate the affected joints. This includes pacing yourself with your exercise, and picking the right type for you. The activities with the most benefits are ones in which you are putting less weight through the joints for example, water-based aerobics, swimming, cycling, using the cross-trainer, or rowing. All of these exercises avoid putting your full weight through your legs. If you have arthritis in the arms or hands, you should avoid exercises that require you to put excessive weight through your hands, such as press-ups, heavy weights and mountain biking. Swimming is by far the best exercise for those with arthritis. This because half of your body weight is taken by the water, and you can do arm and leg exercises using the water as resistance although breaststroke is not thought to be good for the knees. If in doubt, seek advice from your GP or physiotherapist. saskia Walker answers: Strength or resistance training is a safe and effective way to improve symptoms in people with arthritis. It has been shown to help improve pain and physical function, and reduce the risk of falling. The training involves contracting muscle against a resistance for example, your own bodyweight, weights or a resistance band. The strengthened muscles then provide protection to the joints affected by arthritis, as they can take increased load and perform better shock absorbance. If you are unsure how to start a strength-training programme, speak to a physiotherapist. They can assess you and design a tailored programme of specific exercises. "