Too much exercise may lead to arthritis

[Posted: Mon 30/11/2009 by Olivia Fens]

Middle-aged men and women who engage in high levels of physical activity may be causing damage to their knees and increasing their risk for osteoarthritis, a new study has found.

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that causes pain, swelling and stiffness.

According to researchers from the University of California in the US and the University of Muenster in Germany those doing the most exercise were most likely to suffer from knee damage and knee abnormalities.

In addition, the most active participants in the study were likely to have more severe cartilage defects.

The study involved more than 200 men and women aged 45 to 55. All were within a healthy weight range and none of the participants had previous knee pain.

“Our data suggest that people with higher physical activity levels may be at greater risk for developing knee abnormalities and, thus, at higher risk for developing osteoarthritis,” the researchers said.

The findings also indicated that some activities carry a greater risk of knee damage over time.

“This study and previous studies by our group suggest that high impact, weight-bearing physical activity, such as running and jumping, may be worse for cartilage health,” the researchers added.

“Conversely, low-impact activities, such as swimming and cycling, may protect diseased cartilage and prevent healthy cartilage from developing disease.”

The research was presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

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