Arthritis Cases Skyrocket as №1 Remedy is Often Ignored
Painkillers and supplements are tempting go-to treatments, despite health risks and sketchy effectiveness
More than 70% of Americans 50 and older say they have joint pain, according to a new survey, and 80% of them believe arthritis and joint pain are a normal part of aging. This perception, while it holds a grain of truth, obscures a rapidly growing reality: More and more people here and around the globe ignore the №1 recommended preventive measure for arthritis: physical activity.
The need to deal with joint pain is urgent. Global cases of osteoarthritis, sometimes called “wear and tear” arthritis and the most common form of the condition, have more than doubled in the past three decades, according to a separate study published earlier this year.
While 64% of the older Americans with arthritis or joint pain say they use exercise to mitigate their pain, and 80% of them rated their exercise as helpful, more than a third of sufferers don’t exercise. Many turn to other less helpful approaches that come with potentially serious side effects.
From the new national survey of 2,277 U.S. adults, conducted by the University of Michigan:
