Two Hours of Regular Physical Activity Decreases Arthritis Discomfort and Doctor Appointments, Study Finds

Patients suffering from aching joints who participate in 120 minutes of exercise per week experience less pain, visit their GP more rarely, and take fewer sick days, according to latest analysis.

Research Details and Approach

The results come from an evaluation of how forty thousand people with hip, back or knee pain participated in two one-hour fitness programs each week for three months.

The influence on their lives was so profound that it has triggered demands for healthcare systems to make structured exercise a routine part of treatment for millions struggling with chronic pain conditions.

Financial and Health Gains

If the 3.7 million UK residents with musculoskeletal discomfort but lacking a treatment program exercised for two hours each week, then these individuals, their families, healthcare systems, and the national economy would benefit by as much as £34bn, experts state.

The structured exercise programme was studied by academic institutions, who assessed the free program provided to more than forty thousand people with musculoskeletal issues across different areas.

Volunteers attended two 60-minute classes each week in fitness centers, led by qualified instructors, and undertook exercises to boost their movement capability, stability, muscle power, and cardiovascular health.

Significant Benefits Found

• Reported on average significantly reduced pain

• Saw their general practitioner significantly fewer times

• Required approximately half as many sick days

• Needed their relatives to look after them substantially reduced

"Tailored, organized exercise is among the optimal treatments for individuals with persistent health problems. If physical activity were a medication, it would be the most powerful therapy on the world, yet it remains underutilized.

"Incorporating it as a treatment into standard medical care would dramatically improve patient outcomes on a scale no pharmaceutical could match", stated a senior healthcare expert.

Financial Impact Analysis

The study found that if one hundred eighty-four thousand of the 334,000 individuals with joint pain engaged in the free exercise initiative, that would generate 1.7 billion pounds of "community advantage".

Applying this to cover the whole country would raise that total to £34 billion, the experts said. This would be composed of £18bn of advantages from better wellness, £13bn of advantages to relatives and carers, a three billion pound boost to the UK economy, and £230 million in straightforward financial benefits for medical systems.

Detailed Improvements

For instance, volunteers' wellbeing indicators increased by thirteen percent, which was calculated to be valued at six thousand six hundred eighty pounds in monetary value. Likewise, their drop in absenteeism was valued to be worth a notable amount while the ten percent increase in their family's happiness levels was calculated at £4,765.

Workplace and Productivity Benefits

At the beginning of the musculoskeletal initiative, 25% of those who participated in the sessions were unemployed due to health, and by the end of the three-month period, approximately 10% were able to go back to their jobs.

An research director commented that the study showed "the revolutionary impact of physical activity" in managing symptoms among the millions of UK residents with various chronic illnesses and constitutes "a model" for a nationwide initiative of medically-supervised physical activity.

Medical Service Suggestions

Medical services should "include organized physical activity in recommended care pathways" and advise medical facilities and clinics to direct eligible individuals to them, the report recommended.

However, patient advocacy representatives noted that while physical activity improved daily living for people with musculoskeletal issues, it was not the "universal solution" the analysis indicates; they could have challenges incorporating exercise into their schedules and often experienced "challenges in accessing effective treatment and assistance from the NHS, extended waiting times to secure a diagnosis and shortage of management alternatives".

Current Initiatives

A six-week long discomfort management initiative of guidance, physical activity and self-management run by some NHS providers in England, called Discomfort Reduction, which 15,000 people have participated in, has been found to improve wellbeing for people with musculoskeletal conditions and also benefit medical services staff hours and finances.

Official Position

A Department of Health spokesperson said: "We understand that living with persistent discomfort can have a significant impact on quality of life. We will enhance medical services by moving treatment from disease to prevention to help individuals fit and self-sufficient for more time through our decade-long wellness strategy.

"Additionally, we will leverage the potential of innovative solutions which can help keep individuals mobile. This encompasses making certain all individuals with chronic pain have access to activity monitors as part of their treatment, especially in lower-income regions."