Joint Pain Advice Hub

Delve into our bank of expert advice to help you improve your pain symptoms and live positively with joint pain.

Exercise and joint pain

“I don't do that exercise because it's bad for my joints.”

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 helps to both build healthy cartilage and to build support around the joints, keeping them stronger for longer.

FACT: Arthritis happens when the cartilage that cushions your joints wears away leading bone to rub on bone, which causes pain and discomfort. This isn’t the result of exercise, but of injury and constant low-level damage over time.

FACT: Your joints rely on a supportive network of muscles and ligaments to keep them sturdy. Exercises that build these muscles and strengthen the ligaments will strengthen your joints, making you less prone to injury in the long run.

Try our clinically-devised workout for joint pain

Living positively with chronic pain

Chronic pain can make you think that life may never be ‘good’ again. But small adjustments can help you to live positively with long-term pain.

How to take charge of your pain

Plan daily activities to avoid burn out
Schedule in time to relax
Exercise to release endorphins
Appreciate the small things in life

Managing pain without painkillers

While medication is an effective way of reducing mild pain, taking too many painkillers in the long term can cause further complications, such as increasing tolerance levels and liver damage. But there are several more natural options for managing pain.

Top pain relief tip

When you're stressed you tense your body, putting pressure on the nerves around the source of the pain and making it even more painful. If you're feeling stressed, take slow, deep breaths to relax your muscles.

The effect of excess weight

Your hips, ankles and knees are load-bearing joints, supporting your body and carrying all the weight. The heavier you are, the more pressure there is on your joints and the faster they will wear out. When climbing up and down the stairs, the load on your knees is roughly seven times your body weight.

Losing a stone will take around seven stone off your knee joint with every step
Someone weighing 60kg could burn up to 100 calories with a 20-minute walk
It takes 20 minutes for your brain to register that you’re full, so eat slowly and consciously.

The role of rest and recovery

Joint pain management is all about balance. While resting too much can cause the joints to become stiff and immobile, rest and sleep allow your body to recover, so it’s good to know when to take the gas off.

When to ease off

If you notice increased pain

If you experience swelling

If you feel excess heat in your joints.

Limit weight-bearing activities and break down larger activities into smaller tasks.