Public HHS Recommendations

In 2008, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) issued new guidelines for physical activity. The full recommendations can be found here.

For people with arthritis, the HHS guidelines offer specific direction:

Strong evidence indicates that both endurance and resistance types of exercise provides considerable disease-specific benefits for persons with osteoarthritis (OA) and other rheumatic conditions without exacerbating symptoms or worsening disease progression. Adults with OA can expect significant improvements in pain, physical function, quality of life and mental health and delayed onset of disability by engaging in appropriate low-impact physical activity for approximately 150 minutes per week (three to five times per week for 30 to 60 minutes per session). No evidence indicates that OA is a contraindication for participation in physical activity among sedentary populations. However, patients should be counseled to pursue activities that are low impact, not painful, and do not have a high risk of joint injury.