Physical activity 'aids health quality in knee osteoarthritis patients'

Engaging in physical activity can deliver a number of health benefits for sufferers of knee osteoarthritis, according to a new US study.

Researchers from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago investigated whether following physical activity guidelines would lead to better results for osteoarthritis patients in terms of health-related utility - a measure of overall health status and quality of life, which is commonly incorporated into cost-effectiveness analyses.

Cross-sectional data from 1,908 adults with or at risk for knee osteoarthritis was assessed in the study, with physical activity measured using seven days of monitoring via motion sensors. The relationship between physical activity levels and median health-related utility was then adjusted for socioeconomic and health factors.

According to results published in the journal Arthritis Care & Research, only 13 per cent of participants met physical activity guidelines, with 45 per cent categorised as completely inactive.

Relative to the inactive group, median health-related utility scores were significantly greater for the group that met the physical activity guidelines, while those who were active without meeting the guidelines were still better off than the inactive patients.

The recorded differences were demonstrative of a statistically significant linear trend and a strong cross-sectional relationship between physical activity and better health outcomes, even after adjusting for other external factors.

"We found a significant positive relationship between physical activity level and health-related utility. Interventions that encourage adults, including persons with knee osteoarthritis, to increase physical activity even if recommended levels are not attained may improve their quality of life," the researchers concluded.

A spokesman for Arthritis Research UK said: "Exercise to strengthen the quadriceps muscle in the thigh that supports the knee joint is really important for people with osteoarthritis of the knee in terms of reducing their pain. Swimming and cycling and other kinds of non-weight-bearing exercise are particularly effective."