Exercise: Good For Knees After All

Contrary to popular opinion, exercise generally has a net positive effect when it comes to knee health.

A meta-analysis published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, reviewed 28 studies (representing nearly 10,000 participants) regarding physical activity and knee osteoarthritis.

Here's what they came up with;

Researchers at Monash University in Australia found that studies on exercise and knee pain to be conflicting, with some studies showing negative effects, some showing positive, and some being neutral.The researchers dug deeper to see the impact on different parts of the knee. Exercise does in fact promote osteophytes (bony spurs) in the knee joint, however there was a noted absence of accompanying cartilage damage. The bony spurs are simply a healthy response to mechanical stimulation of the joint, not an indicator of disease. Further, exercise did not narrow the joint space where knee cartilage is housed. Moreover, physical activity actually was associated with increased cartilage volume and fewer defects in the cartilage itself. From the pooling of these studies, it seems that exercise has a generally beneficial effect on the knees.Joint pain and by extension, knee pain, is highly individual, with a combination of genetic/mechanical and environmental factors to consider.Vary activity - include both impact and non-impact cardio work. Strength train - working surrounding muscles, focusing on compound movements (squats/lunges/deadlifts).Supplement strength training with accessory/postural work - focusing on getting your butt muscles firing and ensuring good pelvic alignment.Don't forget mobility/tissue work - work on mobilizing the hips and ankle joints, and use a foam roller or another device designed to self-massage trigger points.

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