Finding Strength Through Movement: How the GLA:D Program Helped Mary Reeves Stay Active

At 76, Mary Reeves knows a thing or two about perseverance.
When she was just 20 years old, she was struck by a vehicle while walking as a pedestrian. The crash left her with devastating injuries, including severe damage to her knee that would affect her for the rest of her life.

“I’m so lucky. I’m so fortunate for every miracle that put me back together,” she says.

More than five decades later, the effects of that accident are still with her. The Calgary senior underwent knee reconstruction after the crash, has worn braces for years, and now finds herself on a waiting list for knee replacement surgery.

Last fall, after returning to the Knee and Hip Clinic because of increasing pain and swelling, she received news she had expected for years: eventually, she would need surgery.

“The last visit was, ‘You need to prepare yourself. At some point, you will get a phone call for surgery,'” she recalls.

That message became a turning point. Knowing how important physical conditioning would be before and after surgery, Reeves enrolled in the GLA:D program, offered through Momentum Health and led by Dr. Josip Batinić.

GLA:D, short for Good Life with osteoArthritis in Denmark, is an evidence-based education and exercise program designed for people with hip and knee osteoarthritis. It combines information sessions with supervised exercise classes that help participants improve strength, balance, mobility and confidence.

For Reeves, the decision was inspired in part by watching her sister recover from having both knees replaced.

“My sister had both her knees done,” she says. “They were always exercising. It just shows you the more you put into your stability and your muscles and your balance and your core, the happier and the better your recovery will be. So I thought, knowing what I know and seeing how well it worked for my sister, I needed to get off the chair and put the tools together.”

The program begins with education. Participants learn about osteoarthritis and the role exercise plays in managing symptoms, and complete assessments to measure their mobility and function.
“The first couple of days was an information session,” Reeves says. “The doctor gave us a pre-test to check our mobility. You feel good after you get some results. I could feel the difference.”

One thing that stood out to her was the welcoming atmosphere.
“Nothing was difficult because they’re very well trained to be gentle,” she says. “You don’t worry about whether you’re groaning or sweating because we all feel the purpose of coming here. It’s just to change our attitude and look a little differently about what we need to do for ourselves.”

Many participants arrive feeling uncertain, even fearful, about exercising with painful joints. Reeves saw that firsthand.

“You look around and you see somebody new starting and they’re kind of fearful of their balance and awkward and clumsy,” she says. “You feel for them. But in a couple of days, with reassurance, they start to see, ‘I’m quite able to do it.'”

According to Dr. Batinić, exercise remains one of the most effective treatments for osteoarthritis.

“The vast majority of people who start to exercise get better,” he says. “They feel better, they move better and they take less pain medication.”
For Reeves, the benefits have been both physical and mental, and roughly equal in weight. Physically, she notices greater stability in her knee.

“It doesn’t wobble,” she says. “I associate that with my muscles being stronger. That’s the big difference. It’s steadier.”
Just as important is the confidence she has gained.
“I could have put up the stop sign and said, ‘Don’t go,'” she says. “The biggest thing to overcome is believing that yes, you can do it.”
She credits Dr. Batinić’s encouragement for helping participants push through self-doubt.

“He was so empathetic,” she says. “It’s good feedback. That opens up that message in your brain and you start to say, ‘I need to believe in myself.'”

Today, Reeves continues doing the exercises she learned through the program. Her goal is simple: maintain her independence and quality of life for as long as possible.

“If I keep up these exercises, I can still go up and down the stairs,” she says.

Like many participants, she hopes exercise may help delay surgery.
“Do I really want that much pain? Can I live my quality of life right up to the end by just doing some of these exercises and not have to go through surgery?” she asks. “Numerous people that take the courses that I’ve talked to, that’s why they’re there. To hold on to what they have.”
Her advice to others facing arthritis is straightforward: keep moving.
“When you become more isolated in your own mind, when your knees or hips are uncomfortable and you’re not able to do things, a little bit more of you will end if you don’t keep moving and keeping your muscles and your body as strong as they can be.”

For Reeves, the GLA:D program has become more than a set of exercises. It is a daily habit, a commitment to herself and a reminder that strength can be built at any age.

“It’s like brushing your teeth and looking after yourself,” she says. “This is looking after yourself.”

Josip Batinić is a chiropractor and co-owner of Momentum National Spine and Wellness in Calgary.