Baby boomers may risk arthritis from too much hard exercise

William Atkins
Tuesday, 01 December 2009 19:18

Science - Health

A recent U.S. study performed on people 45 to 55 years of age found that high levels of physical activity, whether in a health club or at home, leaves middle-aged men and women at increased risk from arthritis, especially in their knees.


The results of the study were presented at the 95th annual meeting (RSNA2009) of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), which was held from November 29 to December 4, 2009, in Chicago, Illinois.

The authors of the study are Christoph Stehling—a researcher in the radiology and biomedical imaging department from the University of California at San Francisco (United States) and, also from the University of Muenster (Germany)—and colleagues.

The participants of the study were 236 men and women (136 women and 100 men) between the ages of 45 and 55 years who had enrolled in a study involving osteoarthritis.

The subjects did not have any symptoms or pain associated with arthritis at the beginning of the study, and they are of a normal weight for their height.

The participants engaged in routine exercise during the study.

Dr. Stehling took magnetic resonance imaging  (MRI) scans of the participants during the study for the purpose of identifying bone, joint, and cartilage problems.

They were divided into three groups—“high-activity,” “medium-activity,” and “high-activity”—based on the level of physical activity and the type of activity.

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