Arthritis Tips
A landmark government study suggests nearly one in two
people (46%) will develop
painful knee osteoarthritis over their lifetime, with the
highest risk among those who are
obese. According to the Arthritis Foundation, the study
underscores the immediate need for the public to understand what they
can do to reduce the tremendous pain, disability and cost associated
with arthritis.
To reduce the pain and disability of arthritis, the Arthritis
Foundation recommends the following:
Learn techniques to manage your arthritis. Participate in the Arthritis Foundation Self-Help Program, a self-management course that teaches people with arthritis how to manage the pain and challenges that arthritis imposes. The course has been shown to lead to a 40% reduction in pain.
Control weight. For those already living with symptoms, losing 15 pounds can cut knee pain in half. Maintaining a healthy weight also can lower a person's risk of osteoarthritis. In fact, one study showed that women who lost as little as 11 pounds halved their risk of developing knee osteoarthritis and its accompanying joint pain.
Get active. Many people think that physical activity can worsen arthritis. Nothing could be further from the truth. Physical activity can help decrease symptoms of osteoarthritis. In addition, physical activity is an important component of weight control and helps maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints.
Arthritis Foundation 09 08
Exercise - A Safe And Effective New Treatment For Knee
Osteoarthritis
Now there's scientific proof that exercise can be a safe
and effective treatment option for knee osteoarthritis
- good news for the millions of disabled suffering from this
degenerative joint disease. A clinical study, funded by the National
Institute on Aging (NIA), suggests that
people with osteoarthritis of the knee who exercise in moderation
have less pain, reduced disability, and improved physical
performance.
"In the past, opinion was divided as to whether exercise or rest was the
better treatment for osteoarthritis. This study clearly comes down on
the side of exercise," says Stanley Slater, M.D., deputy associate
director of the NIA Geriatrics Program.
The Fitness Arthritis and Seniors Trial (FAST) results compared
improvement measurements in people who participated in either a moderate
intensity
aerobic exercise training program or a moderate intensity
resistance exercise training program with a health education program.
The results showed a modest but consistent improvement in pain relief,
disability, and physical performance for those who participated in the
aerobic and resistance training programs compared to the control group.
"The findings are significant because they show that exercise over a
long period of time is safe as well as beneficial for older people with
knee osteoarthritis
- they get relief from arthritis symptoms plus all the other health
benefits of exercise. We hope the study will be a good model for people
with other chronic illnesses and conditions," says principal
investigator Walter H. Ettinger, Jr., M.D., Internal Medicine and Public
Health Sciences, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Wake Forest
University.
According to William B. Applegate, M.D., professor of Preventive
Medicine, University of Tennessee, Memphis, the findings are also
important because heretofore most experts thought resistance exercise
was more beneficial than aerobic exercise in patients with knee
osteoarthritis. FAST indicates that both types of regimens are
effective.
NIH / National Institute on Aging 12 / 96
Arthritis FAQs, Rheumatoid Arthritis ...
Hypnotherapy and Hypnosis Questions and Answers
REIKI FAQS - Questions and Answers
You may link to this page Disclaimer