Even minimal physical activity can dramatically improve your health, another study finds

We know that exercising regularly, no matter how small, can keep you alive longer. But a new study released Monday suggests that even an hour of walking a week can help elderly people with knees suffering to avoid painful pain, isolating people with disabilities.

The researchers looked at data from a previous project, which had started in 2004 and which had started in 2004 with thousands of middle aged and elderly Americans suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee. At the beginning of the project, the volunteers underwent a complete medical examination. about their lifestyle, their health was then periodically monitored for up to eight years.

For this study, researchers examined approximately 1,500 adults with knee pain, but no other disabilities at first, and then followed them over a four-year period.

At the end of these four years, they found that only 3% of people who reported doing an hour of moderate to vigorous exercise (the equivalent of at least a brisk walk that lets you breathe a little heavy) became so disabled that they could not anymore. longer safely walk the street by themselves, while 24% of people who did not reach this threshold of exercise were disabled at the end of the study period – a difference of risk eight times greater. Practitioners were also half as likely to have problems with daily activities such as dressing or showering (12% vs. 23%).

The findings were published Monday in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

It is already known that exercise helps prevent conditions such as osteoarthritis of the knee, the most common form of arthritis in the knee. And it can also improve symptoms, reduce pain and slow the progression of the disease in people with degenerative joint disease. But Dunlop and his team were motivated to find the least exercise possible to feel these effects, as many older people with knee pain have trouble moving.

"There is ample evidence that physical activity is beneficial for people with arthritis. In addition, this study shows that a short weekly walking hour is useful in helping people maintain the abilities needed for independence, "said Dorothy Dunlop, Professor of Preventive Medicine at Feinberg, in Gizmodo, lead author. School of Medicine, Northwestern University.

At present, it is estimated that more than 30 million Americans suffer from osteoarthritis of the knee in at least one leg – a figure that will only increase with the aging of the population . And agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend to adults with osteoarthritis to try to do about two and a half hours of moderate exercise a week at least. The team said their findings should put people discouraged by this recommendation more comfortable.

"This is encouraging news, because an hour can be a feasible goal for many people with joint stiffness or joint pain for which it is difficult to practice two and a half hours of activity per week," he said. said Dunlop.

A possible caveat to the study, however, is that people who are able to exercise may have generally been healthier in general than those who subsequently did not do much work. But other research has always linked exercise to benefits in the prevention or management of osteoarthritis of the knee. As always, the message to remember is to move as often as you can, even if it's just for a walk.