Researchers say vigorous exercise in the elderly can prevent aging related disability. And it doesn’t take a lot of time!

Newswise — Healthy seniors who are physically active and exercise for more than 60 minutes each week can lessen their chances of disability as they age, finds a new long-term study.

“This study contributes to the large body of scientific evidence supporting the importance of continuing to be physical active over one’s life,” said lead author Bonnie Bruce, of the division of immunology and rheumatology at Stanford University Department of Medicine.

The study appears in the July issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

The researchers looked at 805 adults between the ages 50 and 72 at enrollment and followed for them for 13 years, from 1989 to 2002. Each year, participants answered survey questions about their overall health and vitality and rated themselves on their ability (or inability) to do tasks such as dressing, eating and reaching. Responses fell on a scale from 0 (no difficulty) to 3 (unable to do).

Participants also reported their level of activity and were considered “active” if they exercised vigorously — for example, running, brisk walking, swimming, biking and hiking — more than 60 minutes per week, or “inactive” if 60 minutes or less per week.

The researchers then grouped them as normal-weight active, normal-weight inactive, overweight active or overweight inactive, with BMI determining their weight group.

The normal-weight physically active seniors reported an average of 303 minutes of exercise per week, compared with an average of 16 minutes for normal-weight inactive seniors. On the other hand, overweight seniors who were physically active reported an average of 251 minutes per week, compared with 12 minutes for the overweight inactive seniors.

After 13 years, the overweight active seniors (average disability score 0.14) had significantly less disability than the overweight inactive (average disability score 0.19) and normal-weight inactive seniors (average disability score 0.22) seniors.

The researchers concluded that being physically active, regardless of body weight, helped lessen disability. Bruce said that public health efforts that promote physically active lifestyles among seniors may be more feasible than those that emphasize body weight to remain healthy.

Brian Martinson, Ph.D., senior investigator at HealthPartners Research Foundation in Minneapolis, agreed that “it’s better to be active than inactive,” but said it’s often difficult for physicians without specific training to motivate patients to think of the long-term health benefits of exercise and activity.

“Physicians should focus some discussions on the health benefits of physical activity because they have the most influence over their patients’ behavior,” he said. “However, I’m not sure how motivating the health benefits are to people. Most people, unfortunately, exercise because they want to look good in a dress or suit or want to look good for a high school reunion. The aim of decreasing disability long-term may not be enough of a motivator.”

The American Journal of Public Health is the monthly journal of the American Public Health Association. Visit www.apha.org for more information.

Bruce B, Fries J, Hubert H. Mitigation of disability development in healthy overweight and normal-weight seniors through regular vigorous activity: a 13-year study. Am J Public Health 98(7), 2008.

Many arthritis sufferers just ‘gut through it’ accepting that limited mobility is part of their lot in life. It turns out that use of the the familiar and most common of assistive technology devices, the simple walking cane, can actually alleviate symptoms and progression of the problem at least 20% of the time. Reuters Health reports:

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older adults with knee arthritis may be able to reduce some of the load on their knee joint by walking with a cane, a new study suggests.

Australian researchers found that when they had 20 knee arthritis patients walk with a cane, it lessened the force on the inner side of the knee joint with each step.

All of the study participants were older than 50 and suffering from medial knee osteoarthritis — a common form of arthritis that affects the side of the joint closer to the midline of the body.

The findings suggest that the majority of people with this type of knee arthritis can reduce the “load” on the inner knee by using a cane, senior researcher Dr. Rana S. Hinman told Reuters Health.

In theory, this could slow the progression of the arthritis, though that is not yet proven, said Hinman, a senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne School of Physiotherapy.

“This may have implications for a reduced risk of disease progression over time,” she said, “but research is needed to determine whether this really is the case.”

Hinman and her colleagues report the findings in the journal Arthritis Care & Research.

The study included 40 men and women with painful medial knee arthritis. The researchers used a six-camera motion analysis system to closely study each patient’s gait as he or she walked — both barefoot and while wearing comfortable shoes.

Half of the study participants also had their gait analyzed while using a cane on the side opposite of the painful knee.

In general, Hinman’s team found, the cane reduced the force on the inner knee.

On the other hand, walking while wearing shoes put more stress on the joint than walking barefoot did.

It’s not clear why shoes had this effect, according to the researchers. And since walking around barefoot is not practical, at least outside of home, no one is recommending that knee arthritis sufferers try it.

Instead, more studies are needed to see what types of shoes are best for people with medial knee arthritis, Hinman and her colleagues say.

In the meantime, it is a good idea for women with the condition to avoid high heels, Hinman noted, since they are likely to increase the force on the inner knee. She added that shoe inserts called laterally- wedged insoles — which are angled to be higher on the outer edge of the foot — can also reduce the force on the inner side of the knee.

However, Hinman said, studies have not yet conclusively shown that the insoles actually improve knee arthritis symptoms.

SOURCE: Arthritis Care & Research, May 15, 2008.