Too much exercise after 45 may cause arthiritis

“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," said Dr Christoph Stehling, research fellow in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

Study details
To reach this conclusion, researchers carried out a study on more than 200 people aged 45 to 55 and of "normal" weight. These people had never reported joint pains in the past.

Depending on the level of physical activity they undertook, the participants were assigned to three groups; low, middle and high-activity groups.

Researchers noted that a typical high-activity comprised several hours of walking, sports or other types of exercise per week, as well as gardening and other household chores.

The subjects were then put to MRI scans of the knee, looking for tears, abrasions and other abnormalities in the cartilage and ligaments.

Excessive exercise leads to joint problems
After analysing the reports of the MRI scans, researchers identified specific abnormalities, including cartilage and ligament lesions in participants undergoing extreme levels of physical activity.

A noteworthy relationship was found between physical activity levels and frequency and severity of knee damage. Nowhere was the damage found to be gender specific or age related, the researchers said.

Dr Stehling said, "The prevalence of the knee abnormalities increased with the level of physical activity. In addition, cartilage defects diagnosed in active people were more severe."

"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.

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

People with joint problems should be cautious about weight-bearing exercises. They should rather undertake low-impact exercises like swimming and cycling, concluded the researchers.

Findings of the study were presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

Arthiritis—the joint problem
According to Wikipedia, arthritis is a group of conditions involving damage to the joints of the body.

There are over 100 different forms of arthritis. The most common form, osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease), is a result of trauma to the joint, infection of the joint, or age and causes pain, swelling and stiffness. It is more common in women, and the risk increases with age and weight.