Improve Your Arthritis with Minimal Exercise

Exercising is one of the most effective ways to improve arthritis.

This is annoying in a way because it’s often uncomfortable, but it’s been proven to improve arthritis.

That’s why a new study in the Annals of Internal Medicine wanted to determine the absolute minimum amount of exercise required to improve arthritis.

A research team led by a physiotherapist at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm enrolled 189 patients with diagnosed knee osteoarthritis, which is the wear-and-tear version of the disease, from primary healthcare facilities in Norway and Sweden. All the participants experienced pain and reduced knee function.

The researchers asked all of them to perform certain exercises, including indoor cycling, knee extensions, and de-loaded squats in which pulleys were used to take some of the weight off the knees.

They divided the participants into two groups: a high-dose group that performed 11 exercises in sessions of 70 to 90 minutes and a low-dose group that performed five exercises in sessions of 20 to 30 minutes.

They gave the patients the standard Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score test to complete several times during the study period and again six and 12 months later. They also asked them to complete questionnaires measuring pain intensity and quality of life.

They established the following:

1. Both groups improved on the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score survey at three, six, and 12 months, with little difference between the groups.

2. The quality of life of both groups improved, with a very slight advantage for people in the high-dose group.

This means that high-dose exercise is not really more beneficial than low-dose exercise.

This is good news because it means that you can adjust your exercise program to your own goals and needs and still experience reduced pain and better function in your arthritic joints.

Exercising is not enough to eliminate arthritis pain and stiffness, but thousands of readers have completely healed their arthritis using the simple, natural steps explained here…