Wellbeing
Here’s the reasons why movement is medicine
CAITLYN HUTH explains the truth about exercise and how to minimise joint pain for over-55s.
If you’ve been resting to protect your joints, it may be the one thing making things worse.
When your joints ache — whether from arthritis, an old injury or general inflammation — the instinct is to rest and takeit easy.
That makes sense. Movement hurts. So, less movement means less pain, right?
In most cases, the opposite is true.
Joints are not self-contained. They depend on the surrounding muscles, tendons and cartilage to function well.
When we stop moving, those supporting structures weaken.
Cartilage, which has limited blood supply, actually receives its nutrients through movement. Rest deprives it of what it needs.
Muscles that support the joint — the knee, hip or shoulder — weaken further, placing even more load on the joint itself.
The result? More pain,more stiffness and less function over time. The condition that rest was meant to protect gets worse.
Decades of research on osteoarthritis — the most common joint condition in people over 60 — consistently shows that appropriate exercise reduces pain, improves joint function and enhances quality of life. It is now considered a first-line treatment, not an optional extra.
Exercise reduces inflammation, strengthens the muscles that take load off the joint, improves lubrication within the joint and even helps regulate the body’s pain signals over time.
While our body is designed to move in many ways, it’s important to work with its signals. This is where working with a professional makes a real difference.
The goal is to find the movement your joints can tolerate, gradually build strength and mobility around them, and expand what’s possible while minimising flare-ups.
Walking, swimming, gentle resistance work and specific exercises are often excellent starting points, but the goal is to expand the comfort threshold, not shrink to it.
Some discomfort during rehabilitation is expected and safe. Learning to distinguish between discomfort that signals progress and pain that signals harm is a skill — one an exercise physiologist can help you develop.
Movement done well is not the enemy of your joints.
It is one of the most powerful tools for protecting them.
Caitlyn Huth is an exercise physiologist at Full Circle Wellness. Call 5456 1599 or visit fullcirclewellness.com.au
