High-intensity training 'can offer pain relief for arthritis'

People suffering from high levels of pain associated with arthritis could alleviate this by taking part in high-intensity training.

This is according to a new pilot study from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), which analysed data from 18 women between the ages of 20 and 49 to see whether high-intensity interval training could be beneficial for patients in this demographic.

Participants warmed up for ten minutes at 70 per cent of their maximum pulse, and then did four repetitions of high intensity - 85 to 95 per cent of their maximum pulse - in four-minute intervals. Three-minute breaks were taken between each interval, again at 70 per cent of maximum pulse, with the total workout session lasting about 35 minutes.

According to results published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology, ten weeks of hard training on a spinning bike twice a week resulted in no adverse effects on the patients.

Moreover, inflammation generally decreased and maximum oxygen intake increased, thus reducing pain and the risk of cardiovascular disease. The participants also saw a small reduction in body mass index, fat levels and waist measurement, as well as an increase in muscle mass.

Although the study was too small to conclude whether a change in approach to training for arthritis patients should be recommended, the encouraging findings suggest that more research in this area may be beneficial.

Anja Bye, a researcher at NTNU's KG Jebsen Centre for Exercise in Medicine, said: "The women who participated in the study found this to be a good, effective method of training, and are mostly very motivated to continue because of the progress they've seen."

A spokeswoman for Arthritis Research UK welcomed the findings, adding: "We are strong advocates of the effectiveness of exercise and physical activity as a means of managing arthritis.

"Our research has also shown that supervised sessions of resistance training in people with rheumatoid arthritis helps to build muscle, lose fat and increase function in those who are sufficiently motivated to keep it up regularly."

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