If you want to live a long life then there is certainly a kind of exercise that you should be engaging in. Not only that, this exercise can help with knee pain.
Bicycling regularly can do all of that, says a new study from the National Institutes of Health which was published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. The study surveyed 2,600 men and women, with an average age of 64. They were asked about their physical activity over their lifetime and the researchers took X-ray images to evaluate signs of arthritis in their knee joints.
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Dr. Grace Lo of Baylor College of Medicine who authored the study said the research found that bicyclers were 21% less likely to have X-ray evidence and symptoms of osteoarthritis compared to those who did not have a history of bicycling.
“I was surprised to see how very strong the benefit was,” she said.
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting millions of people worldwide. It occurs when the protective cartilage that cushions the ends of your bones wears down overtime. Although osteoarthritis can damage any joint, the disorder most commonly affects joints in your hands, knees, hips and spine.
Dr. Lo also said, “There’s good data to support that people live longer when they bicycle.”
“I think that it is a great preventative strategy for many things, including arthritis,” she added.
The National Center for Biotechnology Information adds “Arguably the best available depictions of the global physiological changes produced by age are the profiles of world record performance times in swimming, athletics, and cycling, depicting the trajectory of decline in maximal integrated physiological performance capability. “
The curves, said the Center, suggest that the aging process produces a synchronized, controlled decrease in physiological performance over the human lifespan.
The League of American Cyclists says May is National Bike Month, a “celebration of biking as transportation, as recreation, as essential to our well-being and everyday lives.”
