People with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) need to be motivated to increase their physical activity levels, US researchers have insisted.

RA is a chronic and often painful disease affecting the joints, causing them to become inflamed. Around 40,000 people in Ireland have the condition and it can have a major effect on their quality of life.

According to the researchers, up to the early 1980s, those affected were recommended to get plenty of rest. However now, the evidence suggests that regular, moderate exercise is essential as it, among other things, reduces pain and helps maintain the flexibility of the joints.

However in a study of almost 180 people with RA, the team from Northwestern University in Chicago found that at least four in 10 were physically inactive. Many said they were not motivated to exercise, or they simply did not believe that exercise would benefit them.

"While there is much evidence of the benefits of physical activity, RA patients are generally not physically active, and physicians often do not encourage regular physical activity in this patient population," it commented.

The researchers emphasised that physical inactivity among people with RA 'is a public health concern'. They added that public health initiatives need to be developed that promote the many benefits of exercise and 'address the lack of motivation' among this group.

Details of these findings are published in the journal, Arthritis Care & Research.

For more information on RA, see Irishhealth.com's RA Clinic here