People with arthritis don’t exercise enough, and more than a third of adults with arthritis don’t exercise at all, according to a study in the May issue of American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

“People with arthritis are not meeting physical activity recommendations made at the federal level and by experts in the arthritis field,” said co-author Jennifer Hootman, Ph.D., of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “That’s not good, because we know that being more active is beneficial for arthritis.”

While exercise has been shown to decrease their pain, delay disability and improve gait and function, people with arthritis are even more likely to be inactive than adults in the general population.

“These findings are not surprising,” said Kate Lorig, a professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine, who was not involved with the study. “What’s important for people with arthritis to realize is that the most dangerous type of exercise is not to do any.”

Hootman and colleagues reviewed data from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey, an ongoing household survey designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The survey included 6,829 people who had been diagnosed with arthritis and 20,676 people without arthritis.

Just 37 percent of adults with arthritis met the least stringent physical activity guidelines established by a panel of experts in arthritis, physical activity and public health in 2001 — a percentage similar to people without arthritis.

But participation rates at the more rigorous federally recommended levels of physical activity were even lower for people with arthritis — 30 percent compared with 33 percent for people without arthritis.

Twenty percent of people with arthritis reported performing some type of activity to strengthen their muscles. Both aerobic and strengthening exercises have been shown to help people with arthritis.

People with arthritis least likely to be physically active were those who had difficulty walking up ten stairs, grasping small objects, bending or kneeling, lifting ten pounds or standing for two hours.

“We can’t tell from this survey which came first—the inactivity or the problems with function,” said Hootman. “But we do know that getting people with arthritis active actually improves function.”

The authors say that fear of pain and the misconception that exercise can harm joints are obstacles to getting people with arthritis to exercise.

Other risk factors for inactivity among people with arthritis included frequent anxiety or depression, especially among women, and severe joint pain among men.

“If we can get people with arthritis over the initial pain barrier by addressing their pain and getting them more active, they’ll actually have less pain in the long term,” Hootman said.

About Arthritis

Arthritis (from Greek arthro-, joint + -itis, inflammation; plural: arthritides) is a group of conditions involving damage (inflammation) to the joints of the body. Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in people older than fifty-five years.  A joint is an area of the body where two different bones meet. A joint functions to move the body parts connected by its bones. Arthritis literally means inflammation of one or more joints.

Arthritis sufferers include men and women, children and adults. Approximately 350 million people worldwide have arthritis. Nearly 40 million persons in the United States are affected by arthritis, including over a quarter million children!  More than 21 million Americans have osteoarthritis. Approximately 2.1 million Americans suffer from rheumatoid arthritis.More than half of those with arthritis are under 65 years of age. Nearly 60% of Americans with arthritis are women. 

The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis. It is usually associated with aging and most often causes pain and stiffness in the fingers, knees, and hips. A less common form of arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis, occurring when the body's own defense system doesn't work properly, causing pain in the joints and bones. Rheumatoid arthritis may also affect internal organs and systems.

The causes of arthritis depend on the form of arthritis. Causes include injury (leading to osteoarthritis), abnormal metabolism (such as gout and pseudogout), inheritance, infections, and unclear reasons (such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus). 

Only a doctor can diagnose arthritis. An accurate diagnosis is needed so treatment can begin. The first step in the diagnosis of arthritis is a meeting between the doctor and the patient. The doctor will review the history of symptoms, examine the joints for inflammation and deformity, as well as ask questions about or examine other parts of the body for inflammation or signs of diseases that can affect other body areas. Certain blood, urine, joint fluid, and/or x-ray tests might be ordered based on the results of the initial examination.

Earlier and accurate diagnosis can help to prevent irreversible damage and disability. Properly guided programs of exercise and rest, medications, physical therapy, and surgery options can maximize long-term outcomes for arthritis patients.If you think you may have arthritis, see your medical provider as soon as you can so a proper treatment plan to prevent further damage can be developed.