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Study: Older patients with OA need just 45 minutes of weekly activity
Although federal guidelines suggest 150 minutes of activity, a recently published study showed older patients with osteoarthritis needed just 45 minutes of activity per week to show functional improvement.
“The federal guidelines are important because the more you do, the better you will feel and the greater the health benefits you will receive,” Dorothy D. Dunlop, PhD, professor of rheumatology and preventive medicine and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said in a press release from the university. “But even achieving this less rigorous goal will promote the ability to function and may be a feasible starting point for older adults dealing with discomfort in their joints.”
Just one in 10 older adults with knee osteoarthritis (OA) meet the federal guidelines of 150 minutes per week, the release noted. To fix this, Dunlop and colleagues wanted to determine a less rigorous goal more patients could meet.
To identify a minimal physical activity threshold, researchers evaluated 2-year prospective data from the OA Initiative of 1,629 adults aged 49 years or older with lower limb joint pain, aches or stiffness. Researchers defined improved function as persistence in the top function quintile compared with baseline for 2-year gait speed and patient-reported outcomes. They tested different optimal workout thresholds and compared these with the federal guidelines of 150 minutes per week in bouts of at least 10 minutes.
Researchers found patients who met a 45-minute threshold had improved function for both gait speed (relative risk = 1.8) and patient-reported outcomes (relative risk = 1.4) compared with adults who did not meet the threshold. This association remained significant after adjustment for sex, BMI, knee OA status and age.
“Even a little activity is better than none,” Dunlop said. “For those older people suffering from arthritis who are minimally active, a 45-minute minimum might feel more realistic.” – by Will Offit
Reference:
www.newswise.com/articles/view/667975/?sc=dwhr&xy=10007438
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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Only about 10% of older adults with knee osteoarthritis (OA) meet federal guidelines that recommend 150 minutes of moderate-vigorous activity per week, achieved in bouts of 10 minutes or more. Because this exercise goal can be daunting to many older people with lower limb joint symptoms and/or OA, researchers at Northwestern University sought to identify an exercise goal that would be achievable for more people yet still provide significant benefits.
They found study participants who achieved at least 45 minutes of accumulated moderate activity (such as brisk walking) weekly were 80% more likely to improve or sustain high function over 2 years compared to participants who exercised less than this amount.
Importantly, this exercise did not necessarily need to take place in 10-minute bouts, another encouraging finding for those with joint symptoms, in whom 10-minute bouts of sustained moderate or vigorous physical activity may be difficult. Further, these results were equally relevant regardless of age, gender, the presence of radiographic knee OA or BMI.
The study measured physical activity, ascertained with an accelerometer, of approximately 1,600 adults with pain, aching or stiffness in their hips, knees or feet. These participants were a subset of the Osteoarthritis Initiative, a longitudinal study of individuals with chronic knee symptoms or at high risk of developing knee symptoms or knee OA. Outcomes were maintaining high function or improving function, measured by gait speed, and self-reported physical function, assessed 2 years later.
This study provides valuable insights for helping people with knee symptoms and knee OA to set realistic exercise goals and get started on the road to meeting recommended guidelines. Aiming toward 45 minutes of moderate activity over a week appears to be a much less intimidating target, particularly since the 10-minute minimum bout of sustained moderate/vigorous activity may also not be required in this setting. However, it is important to remember that achieving more than 45 minutes of exercise weekly may achieve greater benefits. The 45-minute threshold applies toward achievement of these two important functional outcomes, but this study did not measure effects on other critical outcomes, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and mortality, upon which the 150 minutes per week guidelines were based. The 45-minute threshold should therefore be considered a “minimum” target or a great starting point, rather than an optimal or final goal.
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