Exercise warning for middle-aged
2 December 2009
Doing high levels of physical activity in middle-age could put you at greater risk of knee problems and osteoarthritis, warned researchers at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.
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Dr Paula Franklin, Bupa's director of healthcare development |
While older people may choose to avoid the highest impact sports - this study shouldn't scare them off exercise altogether. The overall benefits to our health of being active outweigh any potential risks. 
The researchers presented results from a study of more than 200 adults aged between 45 and 55 that looked at the link between physical activity level and knee damage. The people included in the study were all within a healthy weight range and did not have any apparent symptoms of osteoarthritis, such as knee pain. Each person completed a questionnaire on the type and amount of activity they usually do in a week, including activities such as housework, gardening and walking, as well as any sports they take part in. From this, the researchers determined their activity level and separated the group into those who had a low, middle or high level of activity. Each person also had an MRI scan of their knee to look for any evidence of damage.
The researchers found that knee abnormalities - such as damage to cartilage (the flexible, connective tissue that surrounds the knee joint) and knee ligaments (tissue that connects bones together), and inflammation of the bone - were more common in the people in the high activity group. Damage to the cartilage also tended to be worse in the people in the high activity group.
It is already known that doing lots of high-impact exercise (exercise that puts a strain on your joints, such as running), can lead to injury and may increase your risk of osteoporosis. Low-impact exercise (such as swimming) does not have this effect as it does not put a strain on your joints.
The researchers in this study suggest that their results show middle-aged people who do lots of activity (regardless of whether it is low or high impact) may also have a higher risk of osteoporosis. They believe that the types of knee damage they saw on the MRI scans are a sign of osteoporosis risk - even though the people did not have any apparent injury.
Dr Paula Franklin, director of healthcare development at Bupa, said: "This study adds to what we already know - that doing lots of high impact sports can put a strain on your knees and possibly increase your risk of osteoarthritis. However, the researchers didn't prove that being very active in middle-age is a definite cause of osteoarthritis, as they didn't look at whether the people in the study actually went on to develop the condition. They only investigated whether they had certain knee abnormalities that showed up on MRI.
"While older people may choose to avoid the highest impact sports such as running, this study shouldn't scare them off exercise altogether. The overall benefits to our health of being active outweigh any potential risks. If you are concerned about risk of injury, talk to your GP or physiotherapist before trying any new sport."
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