High-impact exercise linked to lower hip replacement rates in arthritis study

People with hip arthritis who took part in high-impact exercise such as running or tennis were roughly half as likely to undergo hip replacement compared with those who did not, according to a study published this month in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The study examined records for 11,750 adults with knee arthritis and 5,911 adults with hip arthritis drawn from a Danish health database. Researchers grouped participants by exercise intensity and tracked whether they received a joint replacement within a year of enrollment.

findings on hip and knee replacements Among participants with hip arthritis, those classified as high-impact exercisers had hip replacements at about half the rate of people in low-intensity, moderate-intensity or high-intensity low-impact groups. The pattern held after researchers adjusted for age, sex and other factors.

For knee arthritis, high-impact exercise showed no measurable difference in replacement rates compared with other activity levels.

Liew, lead author and senior lecturer in biomechanics at the University of Essex, said the results indicate there is no need to stop or avoid high-impact activities out of concern they will worsen joint problems. The study is observational and did not randomly assign participants to exercise programs.

Researchers noted they could not rule out that people who chose high-impact exercise may have had milder arthritis or less pain. Liew recommended starting with short sessions, such as one or two minutes of jogging, and stopping if pain occurs.