18 exercises to strengthen your joints

Overview

Stephen Macconville Fitness Lead for Flagship Programmes

Exercise is crucial to building stronger joints, even if you already experience pain. Try these clinically approved exercises for people with joint pain.

It's tempting to give up on exercise when you experience pain in your joints. After all, you don't want to make it feel worse. But exercise has been proven to support joint health by building and maintaining strength in the supportive tissues around your joints.

Professionally approved joint pain exercises

The following workout is clinically devised for use by people with joint pain. These six basic exercises each have a progression and a regression (18 exercises in total), to suit your individual level of fitness.

If you find a specific exercise increases your pain, you should find an alternative. A physiotherapist or personal trainer will be able to advise you on the best bespoke exercise plan for you.

Not in the mood for a full workout? You can view and try any of the six main exercises below.

Exercise 1 - the Squat

Exercise 2 - the Seated Row

Exercise 3 - the Leg Extension

Exercise 4 - the Shoulder Press

Exercise 5 - the Step Up

Exercise 6 - the Stability Challenge

Get free professionally guided advice

At Nuffield Health, we’ve helped change the lives of thousands of people suffering with joint pain. Our Joint Pain Programme is a free 6-month course that allows you to work alongside a professional recovery specialist to learn more about your condition and reduce pain and symptoms.

The best thing about the Joint Pain Programme is that it really works. If you’re looking for relief through exercise, the programme is a great framework to structure your long-term joint pain recovery around. You can also learn more about the lifestyle factors that can aggravate and increase your pain in the future.

You can also find more tips on our joint pain advice hub

Last updated Tuesday 8 August 2023

First published on Wednesday 17 October 2018