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Weight Training May Improve Arthritis

New research has suggested that weight training can help rheumatoid arthritis sufferers.

A study has found that sufferers who regularly perform the training develop better physical functioning in activities like walking.

Training improves physical function by up to 30% in some patients, and strength increases by almost 120%. It also boosts the amount of insulin-like growth and insulin-like growth-binding protein 3, which both help muscle, bone and cartilage growth.

Benefits of the intense exercise are believed to be lost between four and eight months after it finishes.

The regime would not suit all patients as one less commonly known symptom of rheumatoid arthritis is massive loss of muscle strength.

The Arthritis Research UK-funded study of 28 people was carried out by researchers at Bangor and Gwynedd Hospital.

Copyright Press Association 2010

News Date: August 2010

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