Some patients avoid using canes due to stigma, but cane use can prevent loss of mobility and increase independence for many.
Physical Activity Reduces Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis
A recent study has taken a more detailed look at the relationship between physical activity and the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Researchers found the more patients exercised weekly the lower their overall risk, specifically brisk and very brisk walking paces, along with longer cumulative average walking hours weekly were associated with a reduced risk for RA…
Hip Exercises May Improve Walking, Pain with Knee Arthritis
(Reuters Health)—Patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) can add hip-strengthening exercises to their workout to improve the ability to walk and maybe reduce pain, according to a research review. Based on pooled data from eight clinical trials with a total of 340 patients, hip strengthening exercises involving weights or elastic bands would help the most, the…
Walking Ability of OA Patients Linked to Cardiovascular Risk
New research explores the association of the ability to walk and the risk of cardiovascular disease in OA patients compared with the general population. During the study, researchers recorded a six-minute walking distance and measured arterial stiffness of participants. The results: Even among younger people, OA patients could not walk as far as those in the general population. Also, arterial stiffness was inversely associated with walking distance, suggesting walking is important to the cardiovascular risk profile of OA patients…
A Step Further: Results from the 1st ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting Walking Challenge
With more than 152,000 taken steps in four days, top honors in the first-ever ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting Walking Challenge go to Mark Phelan, MD…
Walk This Way: How Footwear Affects Patients with Medial Knee OA
Studying the way patients with knee osteoarthritis walk and changes to footwear are helping patients under the care of Najia Shakoor, MD, and colleagues take control of their pain and possibly delay disease progression…
Pedometers & RA: Does Increasing Physical Activity Decrease Fatigue?
Recent research examined the effectiveness of a pedometer-based intervention for managing fatigue in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). During the 21-week trial, RA patients using pedometers successfully increased their physical activity, with a greater than 30% decrease in the proportion of participants classified as sedentary. Patients also decreased their reported fatigue, and some reported improvements in function, pain, depressive symptoms and disease activity levels…
Being Active May Reduce Risk of Chronic Low Back Pain
(Reuters Health)—Regularly engaging in physical activity, from walking to intense exercise, may help to reduce the risk of chronic low back pain by, as much as 16%, according to a new review of previous studies. In the past, it hasn’t been clear whether physical activity staves off low back pain, or people without back pain…
Walking Aids in Assessment of Rheumatology Patients
Rheumatologists can gain insight into patients’ state of health by watching them walk