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posted by martyb on Monday November 09 2015, @11:47AM   Printer-friendly
from the RA-Declination dept.

Using a pedometer to measure the number of steps one takes in a day has been linked to lower fatigue in persons with rheumatoid arthritis, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common chronic autoimmune disease that affects the joints. RA has the potential for joint damage and deformity, with loss of function. The cause of RA is unknown. It affects people of all ages, and women more commonly than men. RA causes pain, stiffness and swelling, generally in multiple joints. RA may affect any joint, but the small joints in the hands and feet are most frequently involved. Rheumatoid inflammation may also develop in other organs such as the lungs.

Fatigue is a problem for many people with RA. And, this can often lead to them shying away from physical activity, which unfortunately contributes to a cycle of more fatigue and less physical activity. Researchers from the University of California in San Francisco recently looked at one way of breaking this cycle -- the use of pedometers.


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  • (Score: 2) by VLM on Monday November 09 2015, @02:21PM

    by VLM (445) Subscriber Badge on Monday November 09 2015, @02:21PM (#260762)

    Similarly, putting step-meters on people and giving them evidence of days when they aren't really walking much at all will often modify their behavior.

    For a very short amount of time. I got a fitbit and temporarily paid attention, now ignore it. The effect only lasts a couple months before reversion to the norm. Its very much like buying a gym membership in late December / early January. When I was into lifting I would sometimes take January off, I just couldn't handle the lines and delays and crowds, by February the place was empty as usual.

    For people who don't become psychologically addicted, I think its very much like social media, grind game MMORPGs, and psychedelic use. Once you get your lifetime fill, you're just done. Its going to be decades at minimum before I'll be interested in doing any of those three either separately or at the same time.

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  • (Score: 2) by sjames on Monday November 09 2015, @06:14PM

    by sjames (2882) on Monday November 09 2015, @06:14PM (#260844) Journal

    When you got your Fitbit, were you hoping to arrest a degenerative disease process or was your goal more nebulous? Was your reward reduced pain and fatigue or was it just a higher number?

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 10 2015, @10:19AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 10 2015, @10:19AM (#261182)
      Clearly the negatives of the degenerative disease aren't great enough for people to *do the actual exercise the doctor ordered*.

      A pedometer simply *removes the ability to lie to your doctor*.

      Why the fuck should anyone care about the wellbeing of someone who would otherwise deceive the people who are trying to help them?
      Do they also lie to the department of health/social-security when applying/collecting benefits for their hardship?
  • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday November 09 2015, @10:45PM

    by JoeMerchant (3937) on Monday November 09 2015, @10:45PM (#260958)

    I didn't bother to buy a fitbit, I installed some random pedometer app on my phone, it also differentiated bike vs walk, was kinda cool.

    My employer has an insurance rate reduction tie-in to reporting "steps taken" on their little nudge stay healthy website, $50 a month seems to motivate a lot of people at my job to do far more than is required to get the $50...

    Now, as for a tripping peyote while posting on a WoW centered Facebook group, that could explain a lot of things....

    Mostly, people seem to get addicted to other things, preventing them from having sufficient time to care about stuff like staying healthy, phoning their parents, feeding the hungry, etc. It's all a question of priorities, which makes me wonder how sitcoms still exist?

    --
    🌻🌻 [google.com]
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 09 2015, @10:50PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 09 2015, @10:50PM (#260965)

    Well duh captain obvious. Of course it takes more than just a pedometer. But the point is that a pedometer is a tool that makes it easier for people to make better choices. The pedometer is not the goal it is just part of the process.