Exercise-related Irisin on Inflammation and Pain

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic disease that usually starts with cartilage damage in weight-bearing joints and then causes pain and loss of function secondary to damage in surrounding tissues. Osteoarthritis, which is seen with a frequency of approximately 10% in men over the age of 60 and approximately 18% in women, ranks first among the diseases related to the joint. Many factors such as age, gender, obesity, physical activity, trauma, and genetic factors are involved in the etiology of the disease. In osteoarthritis, intra-articular production and destruction events can occur simultaneously, so it is a dynamic process. Among the joints in the lower and upper extremities, osteoarthritis is most common in the knee joint. Various approaches are used in the treatment, including drug therapy, hyaluronic acid injection, use of glucosamine and chondritis sulfate, exercises, physiotherapy applications, and diet applications for weight loss to reduce pain and increase physical function. Physiotherapy and rehabilitation are important treatment options in OA. Generally, range of motion exercises, strengthening exercises, and endurance exercises are applied to patients. An exercise program can be as effective as an NSAID in reducing pain. Decreased quadriceps muscle strength is a finding seen in patients with symptomatic knee OA. In addition, aerobic exercise has the potential to improve cardiovascular fitness, many of the comorbidities often associated with OA, such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. Because OA is a major public health problem, a less costly population-based approach is desirable. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of exercise-related irisin on inflammation and pain in patients with OA who underwent exercise.