If you’re reading agebuzz, it’s likely that you or someone you love has experienced joint pain. Although everyone has approximately 350 joints (a joint exists wherever 2 bones in your body meet), wear and tear from aging, overuse, or trauma means that older adults usually suffer more joint pain than younger adults. In fact, in a recent University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging, 70% of respondents (ages 50-80) said they experience joint pain at least occasionally. Nearly half of the respondents said joint pain or arthritis (a type of joint pain) limits their usual activities. Whether it’s a joint that provides structural support or a joint that allows for unrestricted movement, joints are essential to allowing you to function and carry on your day-to-day activities with ease, fluidity, and comfort. But it’s easy for something to interfere with the basic functioning of the joint, and thus cause pain, stiffness, swelling, or lack of mobility. For some basic anatomy lessons on the type of joints you have, the common conditions that can affect joints (arthritis, osteoarthritis, bursitis, tendonitis, etc), and the type of tests available to investigate joint pain (X-rays, CT scans, ultrasounds, etc), take off your knee brace and click here and here.

The most common joint disease in the world is osteoarthritis which affects 32 million people in the United States and usually starts at age 50 and older. It’s projected that by 2050, nearly a billion people around the world will suffer from osteoarthritis. The three most common sites in the body for osteoarthritis are the knee, hip, and hand, with hand and knee joints causing the most suffering. At its most basic, this means that the cartilage between bones is damaged or degenerating from wear and tear, and factors such as obesity are increasing the risk for it. In fact, between 1990-2020, there was a 132% increase in osteoarthritis worldwide. As one expert made clear, for every pound you are overweight, there is a four times increase in the pressure load on your knee joint. More common in women than in men, osteoarthritis runs in families so you can be genetically predisposed to becoming afflicted with it. 

So what can be done to prevent or lessen the risk and pain from osteoarthritis and other joint problems? You likely won’t be surprised to learn that the usual prescriptions for healthy aging, including exercise and healthy eating, are considered valuable strategies for preserving cartilage, reducing inflammation, and avoiding or lessening joint pain. Regarding exercise, the more you can strengthen your bones, muscles, and ligaments surrounding your joints, the more you can reduce the load causing your cartilage to degenerate. What types of exercise are we talking about? Low-impact aerobic movements such as swimming, cycling, and walking are all joint-friendly and help maintain cartilage. Movement stimulates fluid to keep your joints lubricated, which will help with mobility and reduce friction from bone rubbing. Other exercises that can be very valuable include water aerobics, Tai Chi, and Yoga. Cycling is thought to be an excellent way to increase blood supply, build muscles, and facilitate better joint movement in the knee and hip. In fact, one expert recommends (after you’ve checked in with your doctor) building up to 30 minutes on an exercise bike every other day to lessen the degeneration of your hip and knee joints.

Food can also play an important role in lessening the inflammation that contributes to your joint pain. Such foods and nutrients as fish (omega 3s), cruciferous vegetables, yogurt, ginger, turmeric, and green tea are all valuable in reducing inflammation and lessening pain, akin to taking an over-the-counter pain medication such as Tylenol or Advil. Of course, there are a wide array of sources of relief, some of which may combine to relieve your joint pain and stiffness. Whether you pursue a topical or oral medication, an injection, nutritional supplements (which have mixed evidence), physical therapy, a medical device, or even mind-body therapy, it’s valuable to know there are an array of potential options that should be able to help in all but the most recalcitrant and severe cases. There’s even evidence that CBD may have valuable and effective pain relief and anti-inflammatory properties to help. And, of course, there is a possible option for surgical intervention in cases that are not relieved by these other strategies. So, while joint pain appears to go hand-in-hand (pun intended) with getting older, there are an array of options that can be used to intervene and put you on a pain-free (and healthier) path.