Women with strong legs suffer less pain
Photo by Mike Baird
Women with strong quadriceps muscles are less likely to develop pain from osteoarthritis, say researchers at the University of Iowa. The same did not hold true for men. In a study published in the September issue of Arthritis Care & Research, 3000 men and women between the ages of 50 and 79 years of age were studied for a period of two and a half years. The purpose of the research was to determine if knee strength would predict osteoarthritis in that joint. Results indicated that although knee strength was not a predictor of osteoarthritis in the knee joint, women with strong thighs reported less pain.
Exercise Physiologist Samantha Heller was interviewed for a HealthDay report on the study. Heller recommended stair climbing to increase strength in the quadriceps.
“You don’t have to run up or down stairs. You can go up and down even one or two steps at a time — that helps strengthen the leg muscles. Strong leg muscles not only support knee health, but they support your independence as you get older.”
Heller also said that walking helps to improve strength in the quadriceps. “If you want to have happy knees, you want to have the muscles surrounding the knee strong and balanced,” she said.
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