No link found between exercise, arthritis of the knee
OXFORD, United Kingdom (StudyFinds.org) – Exercise can be good for your health, but does all that wear and tear on the joints end up taking its toll? An international team says the answer appears to be no. A new study finds there is no link between exercise and the development of arthritis in the knee.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 32 million adults in the United States have osteoarthritis, with the knee being one of the most common hot spots. Osteoarthritis (OA) is more common in women and the elderly, with obesity also being another common risk factor.
The analysis included six global community studies, examining 5,065 participants with and without osteoarthritis of the knee. Researchers followed these individuals for five to 12 years.
Heavy workloads are always a problem
Although the study found that recreational exercise like running, cycling, swimming, or playing sports has little or no impact on the knee, with any activity involving heavy physical workloads, the kneeling, whole body vibration and repetitive movements is always risky. On the other hand, examining adults over 45 years of age reveals that recreational activities are mostly harmless.
“Our results suggest that physiological whole-body energy expenditure during recreational activities and time spent in physical activity were not associated with incidents of knee osteoarthritis,” the researchers write in the journal. Arthritis and rheumatology.
The international team adds that further investigation of all components of physical activity – including the type of activity, intensity, frequency and duration of people – over a lifetime would help brush a more complete table from this link. This data, however, would be incredibly difficult to come by.
“Given what we also know about the effects of manual occupation on knee osteoarthritis, it would be useful to understand the association between activities as a function of load, as well as the relative volume of life (intensity and duration) on osteoarthritis of the knee using a prospective investigation, ”the researchers told SWNS. in a report.
“Knowing that the amount of physical activity and the time spent doing it are not associated with the development of osteoarthritis of the knee is important evidence for clinicians and the public who may need to take this into account. when prescribing physical activity for health, “said Dr Thomas Perry of the University of Oxford concluded in a press release.