Rheumatologist says maintaining flexibility can prevent arthritis

The Pak Tribune reports findings from a study by Tim Spector, a professor of rheumatology at St. Thomas� Hospital in London, who claims his study shows that flexibility in women is associated with reduced risk of arthritis.

• It's not clear from the study if women were born with extra-flexible joints or obtained them through a lifetime of exercise and stretching, according to Tim Spector, a professor of rheumatology at St. Thomas' Hospital in London.
• "Our research suggests that both the innate or the exercise route (to flexibility) both seem to help prevent arthritis -- so exercise and stretching should be encouraged," said Spector.
• "In our study we only tested the women once and can't really separate hypermobile women who remained flexible from normal women who exercised and stretched to become more flexible than their sedentary peers," said Spector.
• It's the looseness of the structures surrounding the joint that allow it to have more motion, similar to a hinge on a door that allows it to swing open and closed.
• In some cases, hypermobility is a sign of inherited connective tissue or bone disease, and some studies had suggested it might actually increase the risk of osteoarthritis.
• Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage that cushions joints breaks down, often leading to pain, swelling and loss of mobility.
• In the ongoing study, predominantly middle-class white women have received regular x-rays and bone mineral density measurements since 1988.
• Spector and his colleagues found that bone mineral density was three percent higher in the hips of the hypermobile group compared with other women.
• There was no difference in spine bone mineral density between the two groups of women, according to the study in the current issue of the Journal of Rheumatology.
• The researchers also looked for osteoarthritis in the hands, knees, spine and hips of hypermobile women.
• The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and the American Geriatrics Society recommend that adults engage in 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day.