Aquatic Resistance Training Good for Knee Cartilage

According to a new study, postmenopausal women with mild knee osteoarthritis can safely promote cartilage health and improve their aerobic fitness with intensive aquatic resistance training. Participants in the study completed one hour of intensive aquatic lower limb resistance exercises three times a week for four months. At the end of the study, researchers used a special MRI to evaluate the knee and found that high intensity aquatic resistance training was sufficient to improve collagen orientation in articular cartilage. The significance of this study is that high repetitions of low-impact aquatic resistance exercises can improve cartilage health and quality while also increasing cardiovascular fitness. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, May 2016