I believe swimming is good for people with arthritis (though there seems to be saying that people with rheumatoid arthritis should avoid swimming?) . I wonder if it helps prevent it? Are lifelong swimmers less likely to develop arthritis in old age?
Funny how I thought of this question. Yesterday I saw my friend's cat. She used to be a very active cat, but now at 15 she's walking like an old lady and had pains due to arthritis. It was sad to see her in this state knowing what she's like when younger. :( (My question pertains to human beings, though ;))
I believe swimming is good for people with arthritis (though there seems to be saying that people with rheumatoid arthritis should avoid swimming?) . I wonder if it helps prevent it? Are lifelong swimmers less likely to develop arthritis in old age?
I checked our research databases, and found lots of studies showing benefits like pain relief, but no direct research tracking the prevalence of arthritis among swimmers v. non-swimmers.
That doesn't mean it's not out there -- but if it is, we just don't happen to have it.
(I do remember recent research, tho, showing that swimmers live longer than runners.)
However, according to Chicago Sports Medicine, strengthening ligaments and connective tissue does reduce the incidence of osteoarthritis, so you might expect swimmers to be better than sedentary folks on that count, but papers on swimmer's knee show that we can actually weaken the medial collateral ligament by repeated stretching during kicking, especially in breaststroke.
Here's an interesting article linking heavy workouts with arthritis in middle-aged men and women, but it notes:
Study leader Dr Christoph Stehling, a researcher at the University of California, San Francisco said: "Our data suggest that people with higher physical activity levels may be at greater risk for developing knee abnormalities and, thus, at higher risk for developing osteoarthritis.
"This study and previous studies by our group suggest that high impact, weight-bearing physical activity, such as running and jumping, may be worse for cartilage health.
"Conversely, low-impact activities, such as swimming and cycling, may protect diseased cartilage and prevent healthy cartilage from developing disease."
I believe swimming is good for people with arthritis (though there seems to be saying that people with rheumatoid arthritis should avoid swimming?) . I wonder if it helps prevent it? Are lifelong swimmers less likely to develop arthritis in old age?
I checked our research databases, and found lots of studies showing benefits like pain relief, but no direct research tracking the prevalence of arthritis among swimmers v. non-swimmers.
That doesn't mean it's not out there -- but if it is, we just don't happen to have it.
(I do remember recent research, tho, showing that swimmers live longer than runners.)
However, according to Chicago Sports Medicine, strengthening ligaments and connective tissue does reduce the incidence of osteoarthritis, so you might expect swimmers to be better than sedentary folks on that count, but papers on swimmer's knee show that we can actually weaken the medial collateral ligament by repeated stretching during kicking, especially in breaststroke.
Here's an interesting article linking heavy workouts with arthritis in middle-aged men and women, but it notes:
Study leader Dr Christoph Stehling, a researcher at the University of California, San Francisco said: "Our data suggest that people with higher physical activity levels may be at greater risk for developing knee abnormalities and, thus, at higher risk for developing osteoarthritis.
"This study and previous studies by our group suggest that high impact, weight-bearing physical activity, such as running and jumping, may be worse for cartilage health.
"Conversely, low-impact activities, such as swimming and cycling, may protect diseased cartilage and prevent healthy cartilage from developing disease."
