'Arthritis Stopped Me From Working Out, But Now I’m a Personal Trainer'
Growing up, I absolutely loved gymnastics. But when I was 10 years old, my joints started to lock up, and I’d have unexplainable pain in my shoulders and knees during practice. After my workouts, my feet and hands would swell for no reason. As a gymnast, you’re taught to be tough, so I didn’t always share when I was hurting. But when I did, my mom would take me to the doctor where they’d always tell me it was just tendonitis and recommend ibuprofen.
Despite the pain, I remained active. During my sophomore year of high school, I quit gymnastics to focus on track and basketball. Jamming your fingers is part of playing ball, and for most people, the swelling goes down quickly. But when it happened to me, the pain would worsen, and my fingers would swell and never fully heal.
Finally, A Diagnosis
After six long years of weird injuries and bouts of pain, my parents knew something serious was going on. They took me to see tons of specialists and doctors, and I had all kinds of tests—everything from X-rays to MRIs—and they all came back normal, until a hand specialist brought up rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an autoimmune disorder where the immune system attacks the joints. He asked if anyone in my family had RA, and my parents told him that my great aunt and great grandmother both did.
Since RA has a hereditary component, the hand specialist suggested we ask my pediatrician for a blood test to see if that could be the issue. However, when we brought it up with her, she pushed back due to my young age. (Most people are first diagnosed with the condition in their sixties.) But my mom was extremely persistent, and the pediatrician finally ran the test and officially diagnosed me with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. I was 16, and in my junior year of high school.
After my official diagnosis, I was referred to a pediatric rheumatologist. I started taking medication, but I didn’t realize how serious RA was. My RA symptoms didn’t prevent me from living a “normal” life, competing in sports, or hanging out with my friends. So I hid my diagnosis from everyone.
Coming Clean About My RA
I was dedicated to track throughout high school and eventually became a D1 athlete at the University of Alabama in 2015. I didn’t tell anyone on the track team that I had RA because I didn’t want to be treated differently. I was training as a triple jumper four hours a day and lifting weight four days a week. But after just two meets, I got a severe ankle injury. I spent a lot of time rehabbing it, but needed surgery during my sophomore year.
And that's a wrap for Bryant Denny Stadium for my freshman year??
A post shared by Randi Blackmon (@randi_b123) on Nov 21, 2015 at 4:52pm PST
I wasn’t able to compete, and during that same time, my RA symptoms were worsening. I knew I needed to walk away from the sport I loved so much, and finally tell my coach about my RA. He was completely shocked because I had never let it interfere with my training. I also told my teammates, who were incredibly supportive. In place of competing, I was allowed to be a volunteer coach for the team. I gave 110 percent to my new role, and hearing athletes call me Coach Randi really gave me a boost.
But I was no longer an athlete, and I felt sad and lost. On top of that, during my senior year, I also stopped responding to my medication, so my RA symptoms were really bad. I’d often be achy and stiff, and any movement I’d do turned into a sharp, excruciating pain. Fitness had always been a huge part of my life and identity and I could no longer work out because it hurt too much.
Controlling My Symptoms
I knew the first step toward working out again was to find a medication that worked for me. I finally found one in January 2018, and by March 2018, a year and three months after my symptoms had gone into overdrive, I was able to hit the gym again.
It was a rude awakening. I had thought I could just jump back in where I left off, but I couldn’t even work out two days in a row anymore because I had lost so much muscle mass during my time away from exercise. Having muscle mass protects the joints, and without that protection, my joints were flaring up post-workout, despite my new meds.
During college I was studying to get my certification as an exercise physiologist (ACSM-EP), and had heard a lecture on how to prescribe exercise for clients with arthritis. My professor emphasized the importance of starting training with resistance bands because they are light on joints but also build muscle. So I designed a workout plan for myself that revolved around 4-week cycles of workouts using the same resistance band, then I upped the resistance with each cycle.
A post shared by Randi Blackmon, ACSM-EP (@rawarrior_randi) on Dec 21, 2018 at 10:07am PST
I worked slowly to increase my strength and build muscle that would take the pressure off of my joints. Within 6 months, I started adding free weights, 2.5 pounds for 4 weeks, then 5 pounds for another 4 weeks. Within a year and a half, I was back to where I used to be fitness-wise.
In addition to building up my strength to keep pain at bay, I’ve also identified foods that trigger my symptoms. For example, I love bacon, pork, and ham. However, if I eat them for a few days in a row, I start to swell up and get joint pain. I haven’t cut them out completely, but I limit them now.
Helping Others With Autoimmune Illnesses
Previously I would hide my RA diagnosis, but now I’ve become extremely open about it. I started my RA Instagram and YouTube channel in March 2018. Sharing my story helped me because finally I was being true to myself. It feels good to know that everyone knows who I really am. It has also helped me meet others with RA and hear their stories.
A post shared by Randi Blackmon, ACSM-EP (@rawarrior_randi) on May 14, 2020 at 1:52pm PDT
I have big dreams for my future with RA. In addition to remaining active within the digital rheumatoid arthritis community, I plan to open my own chiropractic practice. I’ve become a personal trainer and certified exercise physiologist, and I currently attend Texas Chiropractic College. Upon my graduation April 2022, I’ll be able to rehab my patients and prescribe exercises and workouts if needed. I’ll also be able to have a special connection with patients that have rheumatoid arthritis or other autoimmune illnesses, which is something I’m really looking forward to. I want people to know that they’re not alone, that there are other people going through this RA battle, too.
Even though I have this condition, I definitely don’t let it define me. I set goals for myself and I make sure to surround myself with people that help me achieve those goals because I know who I spend time with and the mentality that I have is what allows me to achieve what I want to achieve.
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