“I don’t do that exercise because it’s bad for your joints.” Sound familiar? It’s a common reason people avoid exercises like running, weight training or some classes.
But this assumption that exercise damages your joints has been found to be false. In fact, studies conducted over the past decade have shown that exercise does benefit your joints, helping to build both healthy cartilage and muscular support around the joints, keeping them stronger for longer.
Maybe it’s time to rethink your relationship with exercise?
Building strong cartilage in your joints
Arthritis happens when the cartilage that cushions your joints changes so that it provides less cushioning to the joint and reduced space between the bones. This can lead to pain and discomfort in some people that starts to limit what they want to do for work and leisure.
We are not 100% sure yet what exactly causes arthritis, but it’s not purely due to wear and tear on the joints from exercise. It seems to be a result of inflammation in the joint that can be made worse by previous injuries and other lifestyle factors, such as being overweight, that causes the cartilage to degrade. Research has shown that exercise can actually reinforce cartilage.
Your joints are surrounded by a thin piece of tissue connected to your blood supply called the synovial membrane. This membrane produces the fluid that lubricates your joints. Cartilage has no independent blood supply, so instead, it gets its nutrients from this fluid.
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