"Progressive walking" combined with glucosamine sulphate supplementation has been shown to improve the symptoms of osteoarthritis, according to researchers writing in BioMed Central’s open-access journal Arthritis Research and Therapy. They found that patients who walked at least two bouts of 1,500 steps each on three days of the week reported significantly less arthritis pain, and significantly improved physical function.
Dr Kristiann Heesch worked with a team of researchers from The University of Queensland, Australia, to carry out the trial in 36 osteoarthritis patients (age 42 to 73 years). All patients received the dietary supplement for 6 weeks, after which they continued to take the supplement during a 12-week progressive walking program. The program, called Stepping Out, includes a walking guide; a pedometer; weekly log sheets and a weekly planner, all intended to help patients adopt the exercise regime.
Seventeen patients were randomly assigned to walk 5 days per week, while the remaining 19 were instructed to walk 3 days a week.
The team found that both groups achieved significant improvement in their symptoms, however being encouraged to walk 5 days a week was not more effective than being encouraged to walk 3 days. "These findings are not surprising given that the 3-day and 5-day walking groups did not differ significantly in the mean number of days actually walked per week, the mean number of daily steps walked, nor their weekly minutes of physical activity," Heesch said. "They provide preliminary evidence that osteoarthritis sufferers can benefit from a combination of glucosamine sulphate and walking 3,000 steps per day for exercise, in bouts of at least 1,500 steps each, on at least 3 days per week".
This amount of walking is less than current physical activity recommendations for the general population, but follows the recommendations for people with arthritis, say the researchers.[
Source: BioMed Central Limited]
