Dr. Heath emphasizes that physical activity interventions for people with knee OA must be tailored and adapted to each patient based on their functional and chronic disease status. He underscores the need for physical activity across populations—in every neighborhood and community in the U.S. “It takes more than a village to move our people from inactivity to activity,” he says. “Every city, town, village and neighborhood can and should participate to change the current normative climate of inactivity to one of activity.”
That said, Dr. Heath notes the need for attention to the role of physical activity early in a person’s life cycle, which “may contribute to controlling the risk factor of excess weight and, thus, the potential incidence of OA.”
Mary Beth Nierengarten is a freelance medical journalist based in Minneapolis.
Reference
- Losina E, Silva GS, Smith KC, et al. Quality-adjusted life-years lost due to physical inactivity in the United States osteoarthritis population. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2019 Jul 26;10.1002/acr.24035. [Epub ahead of print].
