Arthritis sufferers are not engaging in enough physical activity

Physical activity is one of the best ways people with arthritis can improve function and reduce pain, yet many are not achieving the recommended levels according to a new study.

The study at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago found that more than half of women and 40% of men with arthritis are practically sedentary and not engaging in the physical activity that is vital to their health.

Researchers asked more than 1,000 people, aged 49 to 84, with radiographic knee osteoarthritis to wear an accelerometer – a small device that measures physical activity – for one week. Past research had relied on surveys to account for exercise and activity.

Australian guidelines recommend that all adults participate in 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity most days, but preferably every day.

Previous studies estimated that a quarter of arthritis sufferers met those guidelines, but the study revealed that fewer than one in seven men, and only one in 12 women actually did meet them. 

What is even more alarming is that 40% of men and 56% of women didn’t even sustain 10 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity over the course of the week, putting them in the ‘inactive’ category.

The findings, published in the Arthritis & Rheumatism, suggest this is a huge untouched market for fitness professionals.

‹ Back