Article

Almost 27 million adults in the United States experience some form of
osteoarthritis (OA). An epidemic of arthritis-associated disability is expected
in the United States during the next 2 decades, largely fueled by the aging
population and the tremendous growth in the prevalence of knee OA. Regular
physical activity (PA), particularly strengthening and aerobic activity, can
reduce pain and improve function and health status among patients with knee and
hip OA. The focus of this review is on the impact of aerobic activity on the
progression and symptom control of OA. In general, both strengthening and aerobic
exercise are associated with improvements in pain, perceived physical function,
and performance measures for persons with lower limb OA, although comparisons of
strengthening versus aerobic exercise on these outcomes are unusual. Structural
disease progression in persons with established OA has been directly evaluated by
a limited number of PA clinical trials for persons with knee OA, but these
protocols focused on strength training exclusively. In healthy subjects, it
appears that overall PA is beneficial, rather than detrimental, to knee joint
health. Possibly the most important reason for engaging in PA is to prevent
obesity, which independently has been associated with many serious chronic
diseases, including the incidence and progression of OA. More research is needed
to determine the optimal types and dosing of aerobic conditioning.
CI - Copyright (c) 2012 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS