A new study shows that walking reduces risk of
functional limitation associated with knee osteoarthritis (OA). In fact, the
study funded in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and
published JUNE 2014 in the
American College of Rheumatology (ACR) journal, Arthritis Care &
Research, suggests that walking 6,000
or more steps per day may protect those with or at risk of knee of OA from
developing mobility issues, such as difficulty getting up from a chair and
climbing stairs.
Nearly 27 million Americans age 25 and older are
diagnosed with OA according to a prevalence study by Lawrence et al. (Arthritis
Rheum, 2008). Previous research reports that knee OA is the leading cause of
functional limitation among older adults, making walking and climbing stairs
difficult. Moreover, data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination
Survey (NHANES III) state that 80% of OA patients have some limitation in
movement, with 11% of adults with knee OA needing assistance with personal care
assistance.
While walking is a common daily physical activity for
older adults, medical evidence reports that two-thirds of U.S. adults with
arthritis walk less than 90 minutes each week. "Our study examines if more
walking equates with better functioning, and if so, how much daily walking is
needed to minimize risk of developing problems with mobility in people with
knee OA," said Daniel White, PT, ScD, from Sargent College at Boston
University in Massachusetts.
For the present study, researchers measured daily
steps taken by 1788 people with or at risk for knee OA, who were part of the
Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study. Walking was measured with a monitor over
seven days and functional limitation evaluated two years later, defined as a
slow walking speed and a Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis
Index (WOMAC) physical function score greater than 28 out of 68.
Walking an additional 1,000 steps each was associated with between a
16% to 18% reduction in incident functional limitation two years later. Walking
less than 6,000 steps daily was the best threshold for identifying those who
developed functional limitation. Dr. White concludes, "Walking is an
inexpensive activity and despite the common popular goal of walking 10,000
steps per day, our study finds only 6,000 steps are necessary to realize
benefits. We encourage those with or at risk of knee OA to walk at least 3,000
or more steps each day, and ultimately progress to 6,000 steps daily to
minimize the risk of developing difficulty with mobility."
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