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Physical activity during middle age may lower risk for joint symptoms
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Among women, maintaining low levels of physical activity throughout middle age is associated with a decreased prevalence and risk for joint symptoms later in life, especially among obese patients, according to findings published in Arthritis Care and Research.
The researchers further concluded that the effect of physical activity on later joint symptoms was unrelated to both menopause and hormone therapy use.
“Physical activity has been identified as a potential target for strategies to prevent joint osteoarthritis,” Geeske Peeters, PhD, of the Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin, told Healio Rheumatology. “However, the mechanism behind the potential benefits of physical activity on joint structures is still poorly understood.”
Peeters noted that “with this study, we provided new insights in the complex interplay between physical activity, body composition and menopause in the development of joint symptoms, particularly pain and stiffness. These insights contribute to knowledge on the cause and progression of osteoarthritis and inform which groups may benefit most from preventive interventions.”
To determine whether BMI, menopause and hormone therapy use influence the association between physical activity during middle age and the incidence and prevalence of later joint symptoms among women, the researchers collected data from 6,661 patients included in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health. The patients, all born from 1946 to 1951, completed surveys every 3 years from 1998 to 2010, answering questions specifically related to joint pain and stiffness, physical activity, height, weight, menopausal symptoms and hormone therapy status.
The researchers divided the patients in groups based on physical activity level, including “none to low,” “low or meeting guidelines,” “fluctuating” and “meeting guidelines at all times.” They used logistic regression to analyze the link between physical activity and joint symptom prevalence 2010, and cumulative incidence from 1998 to 2010, taking into effect BMI, menopause and hormone therapy patterns.
According to the researchers, patients in the “fluctuating” (OR = 1.34; 99% CI, 1.04-1.72) and “none to low” (OR 1.6; 99% CI, 1.08-2.35) groups demonstrated a greater risk for incident joint symptoms than those in the “meeting guidelines at all times” cohort. Stratification by BMI revealed that this association was statistically significant only among patients who were obese. In addition, the researchers found no evidence that menopausal status or hormone therapy use influenced the association.
“Given that the prevalence of joint symptoms was highest — 28.2% — and the proportion of women meeting physical activity guidelines was lowest — 12.5% — in obese women, promoting physical activity in this group appears particularly important,” Peeters said in an interview. “The current findings suggest that the benefits of physical activity outweigh the concerns that greater joint loading during exercise in people with obesity may be harmful for joint structures.” – by Jason Laday
Disclosure: Peeters reports funding from an Arthritis Research UK Center for Sport Exercise and Osteoarthritis fellowship. See the full study for additional authors’ disclosures.
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