Are older adults with knee pain less active than the general population?

knee
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A new Arthritis Care & Research study found that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity levels are similarly low in older adults with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis and those from the general population without osteoarthritis or knee pain.

Because the general population is doing as little as individuals with that may hinder activity, the findings point to the need for efforts to increase for all.

"We were a little surprised to see similar low levels of physical activity in both those with and without painful knee arthritis. I think this is a wake-up call to everyone that we all need to be doing more activity," said senior author Dr. Daniel White, of the University of Delaware.

More information: Louise M. Thoma et al, Are older adults with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis less active than the general population?: Analysis from the Osteoarthritis Initiative and NHANES, Arthritis Care & Research (2018). DOI: 10.1002/acr.23511

Journal information: Arthritis Care & Research
Provided by Wiley
Citation: Are older adults with knee pain less active than the general population? (2018, February 22) retrieved 28 March 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-02-older-adults-knee-pain-population.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

Exercise may not provide benefit over physical therapy after knee replacement

17 shares

Feedback to editors