Tips for Joint Relief

I have a bum knee.

Well, I used to. My right knee was always a little tender. Sometimes it would wake me up at night. 

And over the years it got worse. Eventually, I stopped my morning run. And of course, everyone I talked to had different advice.

(If you’ve had sore joints before… you can probably relate to this next part.)

Some folks told me to “tough it out.” Others said “baby it” until the pain goes away. And of course… none of that worked.

So I did what I always do in this situation. Want to guess what that was? Yup, I did my own research.

And wouldn’t you know? The advice we’ve been getting about the comfort of your joints has been misleading, or just plain wrong.

Listen to this… there have been 43 MRI studies that couldn’t find any evidence that running causes knee damage.

But that’s not all I found. Check out the other stuff I “dug up” that can help protect your joints too. 

Your Cartilage Is Hungry…

Weight-bearing activities like walking or running… help your cartilage. You see, all of that activity squeezes the cartilage. Pushing out all the waste and then drawing in fresh nutrients. Just like wringing out a sponge.

Short & Many

Now with that being said, you can still overdo it. For example, if your joint pain lingers for more than an hour after your exercise — you overloaded the joint. So instead, try shorter exercises that you do more often. That should help.

Weekend Warrior

Similar to the above, if you “push the pedal to the metal” on the weekend… you’re going to overwork your joints. And they’ll have a harder time repairing themselves. It’s all about pacing. There’s no need to go all out. It may be fun. But your joints are paying the price.

Optimize Movements

This one is wild to me. But this is a great way to help strengthen your joints or to even spot weak points. Here’s how it works: the next time you get off your chair try using just your legs to do it. No hands. No arms. This can really help improve your mobility. Of course, if you have an existing joint issue — take it easy. Clear that up first before you start this.

Geez, my knees feel better already. Again, these are such simple things you can do to find relief.

Hopefully, this information helps you and your joints out. If anything, no you’ve got some good counters for that “armchair doctor” that always has advice for you.