Walk Off Your Arthritis!

If you suffer from osteoarthritis, here's one more reason to get your daily walk in. According to a small study published in Arthritis Research and Therapy, walking 15 minutes a day three times a week may help decrease osteoarthritic pain by up to 40 percent.

Researchers found that taking three short walks per week in conjunction with a daily dose of glucosamine sulphate -- a nutritional supplement made from shellfish that's used to treat moderate to severe joint pain -- can help ease osteoarthritic pain and improve mobility.

Researchers at The University of Queensland, Australia, gave 36 osteoarthritis patients -- aged 42 to 63 years old -- glucosamine supplements for six weeks and then added a 12-week walking program to their regimen. Patients were split into groups and assigned either five or three days of walking.

Because it was easier for researchers to monitor patients' progress with steps instead of distance or time, study co-author Dr. Kristiann Heesch estimated that two sessions of 1,500 steps per week combined with the supplement is enough to significantly decrease osteoarthritic pain. Researchers also found that out of the two groups, walking five days a week was no more effective for pain reduction than walking only three days.

Because no drug exists that will cure or reverse the progression of osteoarthritis, this study -- however preliminary -- is an important step in finding a natural way to alleviate joint pain for the more than 21 million people who already suffer from the disease.

If winter weather is getting in the way of your daily walks, check out That's Fit's tips on how to winterize your walking program.