Open AccessJoint exercises in elderly persons with symptomatic osteoarthritis of the hip or knee. Performance patterns, medical support patterns, and the relationship between exercising and medical care
Author(s) -
Dexter Phyllis A.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
arthritis & rheumatism
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1529-0131
pISSN - 0004-3591
DOI - 10.1002/art.1790050109
Subject(s) - osteoarthritis , joint (building) , physical therapy , medical care , physical medicine and rehabilitation , knee joint , medicine , alternative medicine , engineering , family medicine , surgery , architectural engineering , pathology
A total of 110 community‐living elderly persons with chronic hip and/or knee pain, all of whom met American College of Rheumatology classification criteria for osteoarthritis (OA), were interviewed to obtain information about their performance of therapeutic joint exercises and exercise‐related medical care. Although exercises are considered standard treatment for OA and 96% of subjects had seen a physician for the problem, fewer than half had received medical advice to exercise and very few had received thorough exercise‐related teaching and monitoring. Arthritis specialists provided significantly more support for exercising than primary care physicians. Forty percent of the total sample and 63% of those advised by a physician to exercise were making some attempt to do so; however, only 10% were exercising in a manner that might be expected to achieve maximum therapeutic benefit. Supportive medical care was highly related to frequency of exercising.