JointHealth™ express November 7, 2017
ACR News: Mobility Matters
Stephanie Studenski, MD, MPH, Chief of the Longitudinal Studies Section at the NIH National Institute on Aging, spoke about the importance of functional measurement in patients with reduced performance due to arthritis problems
As part of ACE’s leadership, along with the Canadian Association for Retired Persons (CARP) and Alzheimer’s Society of BC, in the development and launch of the Walk10Blocks app, we learned walking is good for your health. Research shows that even walking 10 city blocks a day, equivalent to about 2,000 – 3,000 steps or 1 km, can help delay dementia and may help improve cardiovascular and joint health over time.
Today at the ACR/ARHP annual meeting, Stephanie Studenski, MD, MPH, Chief of the Longitudinal Studies Section at the NIH National Institute on Aging, spoke about the importance of functional measurement in patients with reduced performance due to arthritis problems:
“Rheumatology was among the first disciplines to develop functional measures such as the 50-foot walk and grip strength, and in my original training as a rheumatologist, I was struck by how potentially powerful and meaningful these functional measurements are.” She added: “We’ve found that these measures are powerful predictors of overall effect in adults, including risk of hospitalization, length of stay, hospital-related complications, surgery related complications and overall survival.”
Also during the session, Daniel White, PT, ScD, MSc, Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Delaware, discussed how physical activity programs can improve mobility.
“This is really important for patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA), for example, because mobility is a problem in most people with OA, said White. “In fact, knee OA is the most common cause of difficulty moving around for older adults compared with any other disease, so being able to preserve mobility is not only a big priority for these patients, but for the medical community as well.”
If you’re living with OA in Canada, you should seek exercise programs developed for your disease. For example, the GLA:D® education and exercise program for knee and hip OA is now available in Canada.
Research from the GLA:D® program in Denmark has shown a reduction in progression of symptoms by 27%. Other outcomes include a reduction in pain intensity, reduced use of joint related pain killers, and fewer individuals on sick leave. Program participants also reported high levels of satisfaction with the program and increased levels of physical activity 12 months after starting the program.
Based on the success of the program in Denmark, the program is expanding across Canada. Click here for more information:
http://gladcanada.ca/
ACR News: Mobility Matters
Stephanie Studenski, MD, MPH, Chief of the Longitudinal Studies Section at the NIH National Institute on Aging, spoke about the importance of functional measurement in patients with reduced performance due to arthritis problems
As part of ACE’s leadership, along with the Canadian Association for Retired Persons (CARP) and Alzheimer’s Society of BC, in the development and launch of the Walk10Blocks app, we learned walking is good for your health. Research shows that even walking 10 city blocks a day, equivalent to about 2,000 – 3,000 steps or 1 km, can help delay dementia and may help improve cardiovascular and joint health over time.
Today at the ACR/ARHP annual meeting, Stephanie Studenski, MD, MPH, Chief of the Longitudinal Studies Section at the NIH National Institute on Aging, spoke about the importance of functional measurement in patients with reduced performance due to arthritis problems:
“Rheumatology was among the first disciplines to develop functional measures such as the 50-foot walk and grip strength, and in my original training as a rheumatologist, I was struck by how potentially powerful and meaningful these functional measurements are.” She added: “We’ve found that these measures are powerful predictors of overall effect in adults, including risk of hospitalization, length of stay, hospital-related complications, surgery related complications and overall survival.”
Also during the session, Daniel White, PT, ScD, MSc, Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Delaware, discussed how physical activity programs can improve mobility.
“This is really important for patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA), for example, because mobility is a problem in most people with OA, said White. “In fact, knee OA is the most common cause of difficulty moving around for older adults compared with any other disease, so being able to preserve mobility is not only a big priority for these patients, but for the medical community as well.”
If you’re living with OA in Canada, you should seek exercise programs developed for your disease. For example, the GLA:D® education and exercise program for knee and hip OA is now available in Canada.
Research from the GLA:D® program in Denmark has shown a reduction in progression of symptoms by 27%. Other outcomes include a reduction in pain intensity, reduced use of joint related pain killers, and fewer individuals on sick leave. Program participants also reported high levels of satisfaction with the program and increased levels of physical activity 12 months after starting the program.
Based on the success of the program in Denmark, the program is expanding across Canada. Click here for more information:
http://gladcanada.ca/
Arthritis Consumer Experts
ACE thanks Arthritis Research Canada (ARC) for its scientific review of ACE and JointHealth™ information and education programs.