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People with Arthritis Can Exercise More
STUDY: No age requirement for exercise
JOURNAL: Arthritis Care & Research 2003;19:129-135
AUTHORS: Dr. Jennifer M. Hootman
ABSTRACT: While people with arthritis may know that joint-friendly activities such as walking and gardening can help reduce their pain and disability, study findings show that many of them still remain completely inactive.
COMMENTARY: One possible reason is that such exercise may initially increase arthritis-related pain, and, in some cases, arthritis patients had been inappropriately advised against participating in regular physical activity, according to the authors of the study. But the new findings show that people with arthritis can not only exercise regularly but can also meet national recommendations for the general population.
People with arthritis should strive to become more physically active by engaging in moderate intensity physical activity, such as walking, bicycling or swimming, for 30 minutes a day at least three times per week.
And there's no age requirement for exercise. A recent study found that even people aged 80 and older who exercise just a couple of times a week can improve their health.