New research, however, provides insight that may help patients with knee osteoarthritis get over the "pain hump" when they begin a program of physical activity: evidence that the increased pain immediately following exercise is short-lived.
"Explaining to patients that the increased pain they feel right after exercising isn't long-lasting -- and helping them cope with that temporary increase -- may help them stick with an exercise program long enough to obtain [a] long-term reduction in pain," says lead author Brian C. Focht, Ph.D., of East Carolina University.
Prior research, he notes, indicates that this reduction in pain can result not only in greater comfort, but also in a greater sense of psychological well being and more participation in physical activity.
To better understand the extent and duration of the pain caused by individual workouts or other types of activity, Focht and his colleagues recruited 32 adults with osteoarthritis in one or both knees who were involved in a larger study of arthritis, diet and activity called ADAPT. All were overweight or obese -- a factor known to exacerbate knee the negative impact osteoarthritis has on quality of life -- as well as older than 60 and reporting that their knee pain caused physical limitations and difficulty with daily activities.
Prior to their enrollment in ADAPT, all subjects had been sedentary.
Each participant carried a pager and a notebook for six consecutive days. Pager tones throughout each day signaled participants to record how much knee pain they felt, as well as factors that might influence that level, such as mood and any medications taken
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Contact: John Durham
durhamj@mail.ecu.edu
252-328-6481
Center for the Advancement of Health
22-Aug-2002