Daily physical activities provide greater benefits for osteoarthritis patients than handgrip strength

Daily physical activities play a far greater role in the well-being of patients with osteoarthritis than handgrip strength or isolated motor tasks, according to new research from the University of Sharjah.

The study, published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology, addresses what the authors describe as an "overlooked question" in osteoarthritis research and clinical practice: the best physical daily activities that can improve the well-being and quality of life for people living with this wear-and-tear joint disease.

Drawing on data from more than 38,000 adults across 28 European countries, the researchers examined how closely different everyday physical indicators relate to overall quality of life and the well-being of individuals with osteoarthritis.

We focused on two things: handgrip strength, a widely used indicator of overall muscle health, and motor tasks such as walking, standing up from a chair, climbing stairs, and managing fatigue."

Dr. Asima Karim, Lead Author, Associate Professor of Integrative Physiology, University of Sharjah

The study measured both handgrip strength and motor tasks alongside CASP 12, a well-established questionnaire that captures the extent to which individuals aged 50 and above feel control, autonomy, fulfillment, and pleasure in their lives. The questionnaire is routinely administered to respondents within the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), the dataset underpinning the study.

Walking, standing, and climbing stairs matter most

"What we found was striking. While people with osteoarthritis had weaker grip strength and lower quality of life overall, it wasn't grip strength that told the real story," Dr. Karim explained. "Instead, difficulties with everyday movements - especially walking, climbing stairs, getting up from a chair, and persistent fatigue - were far more strongly linked to lower well-being."

The study shows that these routine actions, often taken for granted, are powerful indicators of how older adults perceive their independence, purpose, and enjoyment of life. "The message is clear: in osteoarthritis, quality of life is shaped less by how strong your hands are and far more by whether you can move through the world with confidence and energy," Dr. Karim explained.

By paying greater attention to such everyday motor challenges, the authors hope that their findings can help clinicians, caregivers, and policymakers better support over 600 million people worldwide living with osteoarthritis, many of whom struggle to maintain autonomy and dignity despite chronic joint pain and functional limitations.

While the study acknowledges the value of handgrip strength as a clinical measure, the authors argue that the real insight comes from understanding how people move through their day and where they encounter difficulty. Everyday activities that people often overlook, such as walking, standing up, and climbing stairs, emerged as some of the strongest signals of how older adults with osteoarthritis evaluate their lives.

"Osteoarthritis is not just a disease of the joints. It affects independence, confidence, and the ability to enjoy daily life. That broader impact is what our research brings into focus," said co-author Dr. Rizwan Qaisar, Associate Professor of Physiology at the University of Sharjah. "This research highlights a simple truth: supporting everyday movement may be one of the most effective ways to help older adults maintain dignity and autonomy."

Everyday mobility is crucial in osteoarthritis

The study also identifies fatigue as one of the most powerful predictors of poor well-being. Addressing fatigue should be a central part of osteoarthritis care, not a secondary concern, the authors argue. Dr. Qaisar said, "If we want to improve the quality of life for older adults with osteoarthritis, we need to look beyond medications and focus on mobility, energy, and functional independence."

A key takeaway, according to Dr. Karim, is that osteoarthritis affects more than the joints. It also diminishes how independent, confident, and fulfilled people feel in their daily lives, with individuals diagnosed with the condition consistently reporting lower quality-of-life scores than those without it.

"The pattern was similar for both men and women, even though women generally had lower grip strength," she noted. "Supporting mobility and reducing fatigue may have a meaningful impact on improving quality of life for older adults with osteoarthritis."

The authors hope that rehabilitation and physiotherapy groups, along with community and aging-focused organizations, will take an interest in the research that links daily movement to overall well-being, helping them design more effective programs for older adults.

Faster way for clinicians to spot declining quality of life

The authors note that the findings, showing that simple mobility tasks such as walking, standing up, and climbing stairs are powerful indicators of well-being, provide clinicians with quick, effective tools to identify older adults at risk of declining quality of life.

"The strong link between fatigue and poor well-being suggests that managing fatigue should be a priority in osteoarthritis care, not an afterthought," said co-author Dr. Firdos Ahmad, University of Sharjah's Associate Professor of Ischemic and Hypertensive Cardiac Diseases.

Dr. Karim added that community and rehabilitation programs may benefit from placing greater emphasis on improving everyday mobility rather than focusing on strengthening exercises, "since these daily movements have the biggest impact on how people feel about their lives."

The study's themes also have strong relevance for health tech companies working on mobility and aging. "Rehabilitation and physiotherapy groups are also interested in research that links daily movement to well-being. Community and aging-focused organizations may find the findings useful for designing programs that support older adults," Dr. Karim said.

For future research, the authors recommend examining different types of osteoarthritis separately, noting that knee, hip, and hand osteoarthritis may influence mobility and well-being in distinct ways.