Physical Activity and Knee Osteoarthritis

Regular physical activity is recommended for overall better health. The effect of repetitive motion associated with exercise and recreational activities on knee osteoarthritis, however, has generated conflicting advice. Does exercise cause cartilage to thicken and prevent the development of knee osteoarthritis or does the repetitive motion associated with physical activity contribute to cartilage damage? A team of researchers from Boston University School of Medicine and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston studied the effect of recreational physical activity on the development of knee osteoarthritis in people at risk for developing the disease.

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Of the 1,279 study participants in the Framingham Study, many had risk factors for developing knee osteoarthritis such as older age and obesity. Information was gathered by using questionnaires and knee x-rays and repeated 9 years later. The most common activity among study participants was walking. Researchers concluded that walking and more vigorous forms of exercise did not increase or decrease the risk of developing osteoarthritis of the knee. When study results factored in gender and body mass index, the conclusion held.

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