Arthritis Patients Need to Exercise
Study Shows Many Arthritis Patients Don't Exercise Because of Pain and Lack of Doctor's Support
July 28, 2006 -- Move it or lose it is good advice for people with arthritis, but far too few exercise regularly even though they know they should.
In an effort to find out why, researchers from the University of South Carolina polled arthritis patients who did and did not engage in regular exercise. They found that attitudes, motivation, and medical support all played a role in whether patients remained active or became sedentary.
Both exercisers and nonexercisers with arthritis commonly reported feeling pain when they were physically active. But the exercisers were more likely to believe that their short-term pain would lead to longer-term benefits.
Nonexercisers often reported that they were not physically able to exercise because of their arthritis."Many of the nonexercisers in our study actually did exercise regularly before they developed arthritis," researcher Sara Wilcox, PhD, tells WebMD. "Instead of modifying their exercise routines when they began to experience pain, they gave up."
Those who continued to exercise were more willing to change their routines and work through the pain, she says. A jogger who developed kneeosteoarthritis, for example, might switch to a walking program to get the benefits of exercise with less impact.
Doctors now know that staying active through regular exercise is one of the best things people with arthritis can do to slow the progression of their disease, improve physical functioning, and even reduce pain over the long term.
Stretching, strength, and aerobic exercise all help patients in different ways, but studies show that people with arthritis are less likely to exercise than people without arthritis problems.
Wilcox and colleagues polled 68 arthritis patients who participated in different focus groups to better understand their perceptions about the barriers and benefits of exercise.
Their research was supported by the CDC. It was first published in the June 15 edition of Arthritis & Rheumatism and will be published in the August issue of Arthritis Care & Research.
In addition to pain -- and fear of pain -- the most often cited barriers to exercise were a lack of support by doctors and a feeling that there were no appropriate programs or facilities that met their unique needs.
Arthritis Patients Need to Get Moving
Study Shows Many Arthritis Patients Don't Exercise Because of Pain and Lack of Doctor's Support
July 28, 2006 -- Move it or lose it is good advice for people with arthritis, but far too few exercise regularly even though they know they should.
In an effort to find out why, researchers from the University of South Carolina polled arthritis patients who did and did not engage in regular exercise. They found that attitudes, motivation, and medical support all played a role in whether patients remained active or became sedentary.
Both exercisers and nonexercisers with arthritis commonly reported feeling pain when they were physically active. But the exercisers were more likely to believe that their short-term pain would lead to longer-term benefits.
Nonexercisers often reported that they were not physically able to exercise because of their arthritis."Many of the nonexercisers in our study actually did exercise regularly before they developed arthritis," researcher Sara Wilcox, PhD, tells WebMD. "Instead of modifying their exercise routines when they began to experience pain, they gave up."
Those who continued to exercise were more willing to change their routines and work through the pain, she says. A jogger who developed kneeosteoarthritis, for example, might switch to a walking program to get the benefits of exercise with less impact.
Barriers and Benefits
Doctors now know that staying active through regular exercise is one of the best things people with arthritis can do to slow the progression of their disease, improve physical functioning, and even reduce pain over the long term.
Stretching, strength, and aerobic exercise all help patients in different ways, but studies show that people with arthritis are less likely to exercise than people without arthritis problems.
Wilcox and colleagues polled 68 arthritis patients who participated in different focus groups to better understand their perceptions about the barriers and benefits of exercise.
Their research was supported by the CDC. It was first published in the June 15 edition of Arthritis & Rheumatism and will be published in the August issue of Arthritis Care & Research.
Information Shortfall?
In addition to pain -- and fear of pain -- the most often cited barriers to exercise were a lack of support by doctors and a feeling that there were no appropriate programs or facilities that met their unique needs.
SHARE
