The orthopedist who diagnosed my osteoarthritis told me that he couldn’t recommend a physical therapy treatment because, in his experience, it was just as likely to make my condition worse. I got an opinion from a second orthopedist who didn’t have the same hesitation.
This week two studies provide more evidence that vigorous exercise can slow the progress of osteoarthritis and in some cases delay the onset of disability from the disease.
Why Excercise Works
Osteoarthritis is sometimes known as “wear and tear” arthritis. The inflammatory conditions of the disease cause cartilage of the knee, hip and other joints to break down and wear away. Eventually bones in a joint can rub against each other, causing pain and disability.
Science daily reports on new research from Queen Mary University of London that explores some of the ways that exercise is beneficial for people with osteoarthritis.
It seems that the mechanical action of compressing cartilage stimulates a process that activates helpful proteins and blocks inflammatory molecules. While the process isn’t robust enough to fully reverse the course of the disease it can repair damage that would lead to further injury.
How Much Exercise Does it Take?
According to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine just one hour a week of vigorous exercise is enough to delay the onset of disability from osteoarthritis. Over the course of the four year study only 3% of the group who exercised saw their disease progress to the point of disability. In the group that did not exercise 24% went on to become disabled.
This study did not establish a minimum level of exercise that would still be effective but researchers suspect that any level of exercise is helpful. The target recommendation is 150 minutes a week but researchers found that many people were not able to keep that commitment.
What Is the Best Exercise for Osteoarthritis?
Neither study set out to examine which type of exercise has the most benefits. Subjects were put on low-impact exercises such as walking, cycling and water sports.
It’s important to note that neither study suggest that osteoarthritis can be reversed.
