HHS HealthBeat (May 11, 2010)

Good choices on osteoarthritis

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

People with osteoarthritis of the knee have some choices on controlling pain and disability.

Patrick McKnight of George Mason University in Virginia examined what happened with 273 people between 35 and 65 years old. Some did strength training similar to lifting weights. Others got self-management advice on such things as diet and exercise. A third group got both.

McKnight, who did the study at the University of Arizona, says doing all three didn’t add anything to doing either strength training or self-management:

"The evidence is in support of choosing either-or – but choosing the one that you are most likely to comply with."  (6 seconds)

The study in the journal Arthritis Care and Research was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: November 21, 2011