Thursday 9 February 2012

Emedinews:Fitness Update: Exercise benefits rheumatoid arthritis sufferers: An update

Fitness Update
(Contributed by Rajat Bhatnagar, International Sports & Fitness Distribution, LLC)
Exercise benefits rheumatoid arthritis sufferers: An update
A lot of research has been done on the benefits of exercise for persons suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. Now, a new study from researchers at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine sheds some new light on the subject.

Researchers studied a group of 176 patients with rheumatoid arthritis who were age 18 and older. The researchers administered surveys to determine various symptoms and overall quality of life, and monitored participants’ exercise habits. The study found that 42% of the participants were completely inactive, meaning they did not partake in moderate activity for a minimum of a 10 minute period each week. However, the most shocking finding was that 53% of the patients weren’t motivated to engage in physical activity and 49% did not think exercise would benefit them. So whereas previously, researchers and medical experts believed that pain and stiffness related to their condition prevented rheumatoid arthritis suffers from exercising, they now realize that beliefs may be the leading cause of inactivity.

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