A recent study has found that physical activity can actually prevent disability for those at risk of joint conditions.

The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, indicates that those who suffer from pain in their lower-extremity joints and exercise one hour a week might reduce or eliminate symptoms after four years.

The study, which examined people aged between 49 and 83 and suffered from lower-extremity joint problems, showed that those who had at least 56 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week had an 86% decreased risk of being mobility-disabled compared with those who exercised less.

"One hour per week of brisk activity is simple to remember and at the same time is almost as strong a predictor of maintaining basic abilities as the optimal thresholds," lead author of the study and professor of rheumatology medicine and preventive medicine at Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine, Dorothy D. Dunlop, explained.

It is the first study to examine the minimum time commitment needed to keep the ability to live physically independent.