Contrary to strenuous exercise, less intense physical activity can prevent joint degeneration (osteoarthritis), informs the EurekAlert website.
Arthritis is a disease in which articular cartilage is damaged. Common symptoms include pain, swelling, and stiffness. In the USA alone, about 27 million people over the age of 25 suffer from this disease. The causes are varied – congenital, developmental, metabolic and mechanical (for example, being overweight).
As the team of prof. Thomas M. Link of the University of California, San Francisco, vigorous exercise – for example, jogging for more than an hour a day three times a week – promotes cartilage damage and increases the risk of arthritis. On the other hand, moderate physical activity (walking, swimming, training on an elliptical trainer) and avoiding frequent straining of the knee joints (walking up stairs, lifting heavy objects, kneeling) can protect against degenerative changes.
The study involved 132 people – asymptomatic but at risk of osteoarthritis of the knee, and a control group of 33 people of similar age and weight – a total of 99 women and 66 men aged 45 to 55 years.
The subjects were divided, depending on their performance, into 3 groups, performing exercises of varying intensity. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed that the group performing the lightest exercises had the healthiest articular cartilage – it was in better condition than the groups exercising more intensively or in those who did not exercise at all (PAP).