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Weight training 'could benefit' arthritis sufferers

Thursday 5th August 2010

New research has revealed that carrying out regular weight training could help those suffering from arthritis.

A study of 28 patients carried out by staff at Bangor and Gwynedd Hospital on behalf of Arthritis Research UK discovered that basic physical function could be improved with weights training, the BBC reported.

People working in physiotherapy jobs may find the results of interest as they could point to another way of managing the condition.

Two different training regimes were put in place, with 14 people each following either a high-intensity programme or standard home-based exercise.

After 24 weeks of high-intensity weights training, researchers found that physical function had improved by between 20 and 30 per cent, while strength had risen by 120 per cent.

Dr Andrew Lemmey, leader of the study, told the news provider that "it is logical if you can restore muscle, that strength and consequently functional capacity will also be restored".

Last month, Arthritis Research UK published the findings of a study which found that drinking alcohol could reduce the severity of rheumatoid arthritis.

Written by Angela Newbury