Freeing patients from the ball and chain of arthritis
Shek Kip Mei centre offers physiotherapy and educational classes to ease the misery of those who suffer from chronic joint pain and stiffness
Suffering daily from swelling and stiffness in your joints can be debilitating, but staying idle won't make the problem go away.
So says rheumatoid arthritis patient Daisy Cheung Sing-yip. "Exercising is the best way to ease the stiffness and pain," Cheung says, examining her hands. "The more you sit there and refuse to move, the more you suffer."
Cheung, 50, should know - she has spent the last 30 years living with chronic joint pain caused by the disorder.
She is among 300 people who attend inexpensive physical therapy and training classes at a centre in Nam Shan Estate, Shek Kip Mei, set up by the Arthritis & Rheumatism Foundation.
Another patient, Tsang Yim-ching, who has suffered from psoriatic arthritis for 10 years, says the classes not only helped her cope with the pain from her condition, but also lifted her spirits during a period of depression.
Tsang's condition is a form of arthritis that causes red patches of skin with silvery scales.