Resistance training not only strengthens your muscles and bones and helps you burn fat, but it also helps your joints, as well. In addition to reducing the weight your ankles, knees, and hips carry (every pound less you weigh your knee and ankle joints carry four pounds less going uphill and seven pounds less going down stairs), resistance training increases the protection and shock absorption that strong muscles surrounding your joints provide.
Exercise - Bones & Joints
Exercise helps protect joints by building strong muscles around them. Regularly moving joints ensures adequate nutrients delivered to them as well as the removal of waste products. Without movement, your joints will not receive sufficient nourishment because they do not have a direct blood supply.
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Dole Nutrition Institute answeredSee All 2 AnswersExercise helps protect joints by building strong muscles around them. Stretching exercises improve their range of motion. And activities like swimming, walking and weight lifting increase flexibility and endurance—and also help with weight control, boost energy and improve overall health and fitness.
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Dr. Mehmet Oz, MD , Cardiology (Cardiovascular Disease), answeredSee All 3 AnswersUnless you're a mermaid or have the last name of Phelps and spend all day in the water, swimming won't unconditionally save you from getting joint pain, but it may help delay the onset. And it will certainly help you stay in shape while you're recovering from problems associated with your joints. -
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National Academy of Sports Medicine answeredBy leg joints we assume you mean the knees. Actually the joints can’t really be “strengthened” but the musculature around the knees can be conditioned to the extent that they make the knees more stable. There is a list of exercises that is extensive particularly designed to strengthen the quads, hamstrings, gastrocs and the musculature of the hip and pelvis. Squats, lunges, toe raises, step ups, etc., are some examples but the acute variables that add balance, and neuromuscular strength and control are particularly important. The most important step of this process is to find an NASM certified professional to assess your needs and implement a program designed for you and your “leg joints.”
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Dr. Grant Cooper, MD , Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, answeredYou may be less inclined to exercise as joint pain increases. This decreased activity in turn leads to further weight gain, which leads to increased stress on the joints, causing more pain, less movement, and more weight gain. This is a difficult cycle to break. Fortunately, there is hope. Once you start shedding excess weight, you will take a significant amount of stress off your joints, and this will lead to a significant decrease in pain and stiffness.
If you are obese and worried about the damage you may have already done to your joints, lose weight now and you will greatly reduce your chances of developing arthritis. Women who lose as little as 11 pounds reduce their risk of developing arthritis of the knee by more than 50 percent.
The good news is that many of the same steps to treat and prevent arthritis will also help you shed excess weight with no extra effort. If you're obese or overweight, you already know that you should lose weight, and a doctor has probably already told you that it is important for you to lose weight. You may have tried different diets and found it difficult to shed the pounds. Please don't despair. Once you start eating right and exercising, the weight will start to come off. You'll be amazed by how much better your joints will feel. -
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Dr. Grant Cooper, MD , Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, answeredJoints degenerate if you don't exercise them. Without movement, your joints will not receive sufficient nourishment because they do not have a direct blood supply. The cartilage will begin to erode, the shock-absorbing capacity of the joints will diminish, and the supporting ligaments and muscles will weaken. Your joints will feel stiff and hurt when you need them to support you. What's the good news? By exercising, you can nourish and strengthen your joints, and reduce your pain and stiffness. It's never too late to start exercising.
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Dr. Mehmet Oz, MD , Cardiology (Cardiovascular Disease), answered
Too much play without stretching can put stress on your joints. In this video, Dr. Oz welcomes a lively dog and owner and stresses the importance of keeping pet and human joints healthy.