Get Moving With Scleroderma
About the Group
We invite you to join our monthly “Get Moving with Scleroderma” meetings! We discuss ways to improve our overall health and improve scleroderma-related symptoms through movement and exercise. Meetings include various guest speakers as well as group discussion and sharing of ideas. We also explore lifestyle changes that impact our health such as nutrition and mindfulness. These meetings are open to all those living with scleroderma from any location. Our relationship with exercise and movement is an ever-changing one and we are here to meet you wherever you are on that journey.
This group is hosted by the Scleroderma Foundation of Greater Chicago in partnership with The Global Fellowship on Rehabilitation and Exercise in Systemic Sclerosis (G-FoRSS).
Why Participate:
Want to join?
Click here to complete the form at the bottom of the page
Do you have questions about what activities you can or should do because of certain physical limitations that scleroderma presents? Are you lacking motivation or just not sure where to begin when it comes to exercise? Have you decreased the amount of activity you do because of your scleroderma diagnosis? Have you lost weight or muscle because of scleroderma?
Here are some of the things you can expect by participating:
-
Discover how exercise can potentially benefit scleroderma symptoms such as skin function, gastrointestinal function, oral health, circulation, inflammation, endurance, and more.
-
Learn how many different types of exercise can benefit scleroderma, even gentle movements.
-
Connect with a group of people who understand what you’re experiencing.
-
Get motivated to maintain a healthy lifestyle in a caring and supportive environment.
-
Identify specific, achievable goals and habits to focus on.
Upcoming Meetings
April 21, 2026 – Janet Poole, PhD, OTR/L:
Motion is Lotion, The Importance of Hand and Face Exercises
May 19, 2026 – Penny Stack, OTD, OTR/L, COTA, CLT, NBC-HWC: Scleroderma and the Effects on Daily Life: Finding Strength through Adaptation
“Virtually all scleroderma manifestations can benefit from exercise.”
Dr. Lesley Ann Saketkoo
Educational Resources
Videos
Readings
Exercise as Medicine in SSc
Read more about Exercise and Scleroderma with this article by G-FoRRS. The text provides an overview of how exercise affects the body and then applies this knowledge to the challenges of SSc while tailoring exercise to specific goals.
Websites
Yoga for Scleroderma
Exercise is Medicine!
Medical Advisor
Dr. Lesley Saketkoo is a strong advocate for approaching exercise as medicine and serves as the medical advisor for the Get Moving with Scleroderma group.
Dr. Saketkoo is the director and founder of the New Orleans Scleroderma and Sarcoidosis Patient Care and Research Center. She is a clinical researcher recognized for her work in clinical trial design and in identifying patients' priorities in life-threatening autoimmune illnesses including pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary fibrosis. She also developed research tools with patients including targeting self-management strategies with yoga, dance, and singing for lung health rehabilitation as well as mindfulness practices. In 2018, she was honored with Doctor of the Year from the Scleroderma Foundation.
Get Moving With Scleroderma Sign-up Form
