Physical Activity Guidelines for OA

The current physical activity guidelines for aerobic exercise are 150-300 minutes/week of moderate-vigorous activity. Do you think these guidelines can be generalized for the OA population based on current evidence?

There is evidence that exercise is beneficial for reducing likelihood of developing OA as some studies have shown cartilage to be thicker in runners and weightlifters as compared to a sedentary population.

But there are other studies that found a relationship between higher levels of activity and greater levels of OA cartilage degeneration, thereby recommending a lower volume of physical activity in those with OA present to mitigate disease progression risk: 1. The association between objectively measured physical activity and knee structural change using MRI
2. Physical activity minimum threshold predicting improved function in adults with lower-extremity symptoms

And then this systematic review in 2022 concluded there was no strong evidence to support a relationship between physical features of OA and exercise. So it seems there is a lack of consensus.

I recognize the limitations of solely using imaging as a metric for exercise efficacy. There is discordance between imaging and pain. Exercise can be used to manage OA-related pain. And regardless of its effects on joints, exercise has benefits to other body systems that outweigh potential harms.

In the past year, I am now meeting the physical activity guidelines largely in part to podcasts and articles by the BM team. I have listened to both BM podcasts on osteoarthritis and read the OA article on the website. But I have not heard you talk about the physical activity guidelines specifically in relation to OA.

I appreciate all the solid info the team produces and would love to hear what you think on this topic.

1 Like