NEW YORK (Reuters) -- It's never too late to start working out, a new study suggests. The elderly -- even those with heart, muscle, or joint disease -- can have significant improvement in their health with regular exercise, according to a report in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
And such exercise, be it walking, gardening or bicycling, can reduce joint and muscle pain overall, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).
"Many people with problems of swelling and stiffness of the bones, joints, tendons, and other aches and pains avoid physical activity because they fear pain," stated Dr. Walton Curl in a release from the AAOS. "You can expect some muscle soreness when you start exercising, but it will disappear as you exercise regularly. Start out slowly, and if one activity hurts too much switch to something else."
An exercise program can include swimming or ballroom dancing. Even washing and waxing a car, playing with grandchildren and keeping up with housework can help maintain fitness levels, according to Curl, an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Bowman Gray School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
People with osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and low back pain should be able to exercise if they want, and indeed, they may even have a reduction in pain with time, according to the AAOS.
In the new study of 73 men, aged 64 to 90, about 50% stuck to a supervised exercise program for five years, which included 90 minutes of exercise, three days a week. The participants showed significant improvement in the cardiovascular fitness and in muscle strength for the first two years, although they tended to decline afterwards.
"Our study demonstrates that older individuals can develop and maintain significant improvements in physical performance for at least two years," wrote lead study author Miriam Morey, of the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center at the VA Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.
"Perhaps of greater importance is that individuals with a previous history of cardiovascular or musculoskeletal disease can be expected to experience the same gain as those without disease."
The study included men with heart disease, a history of heart attack, angina, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, arthritis, leg injuries, and fibromyalgia, or chronic muscle pain.
For free brochures about exercise call the public service line for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons at 1-800-824-BONES.
SOURCE: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (1996;44:1226-1231)
