Might Exercise Stave Off Arthritis?
Women in their 70s who get plenty of exercise have a better chance of avoiding the pain and stiffness of arthritis than their sedentary peers, reports a study published in the current Arthritis Research & Therapy. "Just 75 minutes per week of moderate physical activity offers protection," says Kristiann Heesch, the researcher at the University of Queensland in Australia who led the study. To get the greatest benefit, she found, older women would need to spend 200 to 340 minutes a week walking briskly, 150 to 300 minutes exercising moderately (playing tennis or golf, for example), or 80 to 160 minutes engaged in such vigorous exercise as running or biking.
Heesch reached her conclusion by surveying 3,790 Australian women between the ages of 72 and 79 who had not been diagnosed with arthritis about their exercise habits and early symptoms of arthritis such as stiff or painful joints. Three years later she surveyed the group again. The more people reported having exercised, the less likely they were to have experienced arthritis symptoms.
Heesch is the first to admit that her study has some limitations, including the fact that healthy, active people were more likely to participate and that the study looked at self-reported arthritis symptoms as opposed to clinical signs of arthritis such as X-rays of inflammation. So just how well physical activity can actually stave off arthritis remains an open scientific question. Some previous studies have found no effect, and others have even suggested that certain types of vigorous activities that stress joints, including football, rugby, and soccer, may promote the condition.
If, in fact, exercise does stave off arthritis, the mechanism behind the possible connection remains unclear. "Maybe exercise directly benefits the joints. Maybe it makes you lose weight and the latter benefits the joints. Maybe it causes pain-sensing receptors to become less sensitive so one feels less pain. It could be any or a combination," says John Hardin, chief scientific officer of the Arthritis Foundation.
In any case, experts agree that exercise offers benefits at every stage of life. "If you're in your 70s and you don't have painful joints, you shouldn't be afraid to engage in physical activity. Walking or other moderate activate may delay the onset of painful joints," says Heesch.
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