Arthritis - Vigorous Activity May Lessen Arthritis Disability

Author

Vigorous Activity May Lessen Arthritis Disability

Roman Bystrianyk

2005-04-19, 10:02 am

Amy Norton, "Vigorous Activity May Lessen Arthritis Disability",
Reuters, April 15, 2005,
Link:
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle....storyID=8197694

Older people with arthritis are more likely to hang on to good physical
function if they exercise on a regular basis, a new study suggests.

In a two-year study of more than 5,700 older adults with arthritis,
researchers at Northwestern university in Chicago found that men and
women who were consistently active were less likely to develop physical
limitations that interfered with their day-to-day lives.

Adults who did not get regular, vigorous exercise -- which included
nearly two-thirds of the study population -- had twice the risk of
functional decline as their active peers, the researchers report in the
journal Arthritis & Rheumatism.

Functional decline refers to problems with daily activities such as
walking a short distance, preparing meals, shopping, bathing and
dressing. Arthritis is one of the leading causes of such disabilities
among older Americans.

But the new findings suggest that staying active could prevent a good
deal of this physical decline, according to Dr. Dorothy D. Dunlop, the
lead author on the study.

"There's been a myth that people with arthritis shouldn't exercise,"
Dunlop told Reuters Health. To the contrary, she said, this study
provides further evidence of the health benefits of regular activity,
even for older people who are not in the best of physical condition.

Often, Dunlop pointed out, people with arthritis have other health
conditions as well -- as 88 percent of the men and women in her study
did. But exercise, by improving overall physical health, boosting
energy and simply making people feel better, may help older adults
maintain their physical abilities and independence, according to the
researcher.

For their study, Dunlop and her colleagues followed 5,715 adults age 65
and older for two years. At the start of the study, participants were
assessed for functional limitations and a range of medical and
lifestyle factors, including their exercise habits.

Among those who were free of serious limitations at the outset, about
14 percent saw their physical function decline, the researchers found.
The risk of decline was twice as great among men and women who did not
exercise regularly -- even when other factors, such as age, co-existing
health conditions and other lifestyle habits, were weighed.

The researchers asked participants whether they got "vigorous"
exercise, such as playing a sport or doing heavy housework, at least
three days a week. The question, Dunlop said, was designed to get at
how many people were following the general recommendation for adults to
get 20 minutes of vigorous exercise on at least three days out of the
week, or 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most days of the week.

Those minutes, experts say, need not come all together. And for older
people with arthritis, the goal is to "weave physical activity into the
daily routine," according to Dunlop. That may mean gardening, walking
to the store instead of driving, or taking the stairs instead of the
elevator.

But, she said, it's "always wise" for patients to consult their doctors
before taking up any exercise.

Organizations such as the local chapter of the Arthritis Foundation,
Dunlop noted, may also be able to point older adults to exercise
programs in walking, water aerobics or other activities that are
specially designed for them.

She and her colleagues estimate that if all of the men and women in
their study had gotten regular exercise, it would have prevented
one-third of the cases of functional decline.

SOURCE: Arthritis & Rheumatism, April 2005.

merylnro@hotmail.com

2005-04-19, 10:02 am

Children and teens don't get enough excersise let alone seniors. We
have become a fat, morbidly obese society. People do very little
walking today. I recently visited Disney World's Epcot Center and the
majority of people young and old were overweight. Many were carting
their fat asses around in those motorized carts. Something needs to be
done or the increase in diabetis, cancer, and heart disease will sky
rocket. As I see it, things are not getting any better, but far worse.

Bill

2005-04-28, 8:45 am

I can vouch for that after I was told my hip was worn out I found cycling
helped considerably so much in fact it is 10 years now since that
appointment with the surgeon.
Bill
"Roman Bystrianyk" <rbystrianyk@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1113794680.519939.302900@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...[vbcol=seagreen]
> Amy Norton, "Vigorous Activity May Lessen Arthritis Disability",
> Reuters, April 15, 2005,
> Link:
> http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle....storyID=8197694
>
> Older people with arthritis are more likely to hang on to good physical
> function if they exercise on a regular basis, a new study suggests.
>