People in physically demanding jobs, such as construction and carpet-laying, have more than twice the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis than those in more sedentary occupations, research shows.

The Australian-led international study quantified the risk of knee osteoarthritis (OA) associated with specific jobs and activities, such as heavy lifting, frequent climbing and prolonged squatting.

In a systematic review and meta-analysis of 71 studies, researchers analysed data from more than 950,000 individuals aged between 18 and 98 (mean age 57) to determine the association between occupational exposures and the chronic condition.

They found that, compared with workers in sedentary or low physical workload occupations, those in physically demanding roles had, in general, a 52% greater risk of knee OA.