6/18/2005
Clearwater, FL-

Patients who suffer from arthritis may be looking for a "quick fix" and abandon their exercise program. This is not in their best interest.

When the Food and Drug Administration recently pulled the popular drugs Vioxx (rofecoxib) and Bextra (valdecoxib) off the market because of safety concerns с and required stronger warning labels on Celebrex (celecoxib) с millions of arthritis patients and the physicians who treat them found themselves in the crosshairs of an ongoing controversy: Does the FDA "fast-track" certain drugs to appease the pharmaceutical industry, without properly assessing their safety?

These three medications, part of a pharmacological family known as COX-2 inhibitors, have been a godsend for osteoarthritis (OA) sufferers and millions of other Americans with equally disabling conditions. Many physicians continue to believe these drugs are effective and that patients can be successfully monitored for the reported cardiovascular complications.

As pharmaceutical companies, the medical community and the government grapple with the issues, a recent study by the Arthritis Research Institute of America, Inc. (ARIA) reveals that a significant percentage of patients who rely on these (and other) drugs to manage pain and inflammation drop out of recommended exercise programs.

"There appears to be a correlation between the use of arthritis medication and exercise program attrition," says epidemiologist Frances V. Wilder, PhD, ARIA"s director of research. "Exercise remains an effective osteoarthritis prevention and treatment technique, but it requires a long-term commitment. We believe that many patients associate an increase in pain with exercise, relying on their OA medications for short-term relief. They may also harbor the unrealistic expectation that exercise is a "quick fix" for their symptoms. While medication does, indeed, allow them to feel better, they should not assume they can abandon their exercise regimens. Nothing could be further from the truth. Medication is not a substitute or "surrogate" for exercise."

ARIA researchers found that patients who reported taking arthritis medications were 4.5 times more likely to drop out of exercise programs (compared to those who reported taking no medication).

"Prior studies have shown that patients who participate in a structured, center-based exercise program are more likely to stick with it than those who exercise at home," says orthopedic surgeon and ARIA Founder John P. Barrett Jr., MD. "We also know that patients who are depressed are more likely to drop out of an exercise program. More research is needed to identify techniques to reduce program attrition. Arthritis patients need to be reminded that exercise improves flexibility, endurance and overall health."

Wilder's and Barrett's study was published in the February issue of Physical Therapy (2005;85:142 149).

For additional information, please contact ARIA at (727) 461-4054 or by email: email protected from spam bots.

The Arthritis Research Institute of America, Inc., is a national nonprofit, public charity that was founded in 1984. ARIA conducts low-cost, community-based studies on osteoarthritis. ARIA is a leader in its field, developing effective, innovative and cost-effective ways to meet the urgent needs of the 21 million Americans who suffer from this disabling condition.


Source: PRWeb
Contact: LAPWG
Barbara Feiner
727-461-4054