Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2026
The Lower Body Positive Pressure Treadmill for Knee Osteoarthritis Rehabilitation
Published on: July 22, 2019
Walking to meet physical activity guidelines in knee osteoarthritis: is 10,000 steps enough?
Daniel K White1, Catrine Tudor-Locke, David T Felson
1Dept of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA 02115, USA. dwtbn@bu.edu
Objective:
To study if step goals (eg, walking 10,000 steps a day) approximate meeting the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.
Design:
Cross-sectional observational cohort.
Setting:
Community.
Participants:
People with or at high risk of knee OA (N=1788).
Interventions:
None.
Main Outcome Measures:
Objective physical activity data were collected over 7 consecutive days from people with or at high risk of knee OA participating in the Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study. Using activity monitor data, we determined the proportion that (1) walked ≥10,000 steps per day, (2) met the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines, and (3) achieved both recommendations.
Results:
Of the subjects studied (mean age ± SD, 67±8y; mean body mass index ± SD, 31±6kg/m(2); 60% women), 16.7% of men and 12.6% of women walked ≥10,000 steps per day, while 6% of men and 5% of women met the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Of those walking ≥10,000 steps per day, 16.7% and 26.7% of men and women, respectively, also met the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines.
Conclusions:
Among this sample of older adults with or at high risk of knee OA, walking ≥10,000 steps a day did not translate into meeting public health guidelines. These findings highlight the disparity between the number of steps believed to be needed per day and the recommended time-intensity guidelines to achieve positive health benefits.
