Who can get joint pain?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people immediately think of arthritis and wear and tear when it comes to joint pain, but we know more about it now,\u201d says Dr David Porter, a sports medicine physician at Opus Biological. It can depend on what your lifestyle is like, what medical conditions you have and genetic components. People think you\u2019re more likely to get wear and tear if you\u2019ve worked on a building site or doing a sport like rugby, but that\u2019s just not the case.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople with diabetes, people that are obese or have sedentary lifestyles are more likely to get arthritis and joint pain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Controlling your weight<\/a> and staying healthy is an important factor to reduce risk. Porter has many clients come to him who have been told to lose a substantial amount of weight in order to ease the pressure off the joints. <\/p>\n \u201cWhat I say to most people is that if they lose one kilogram, it\u2019s the equivalent of four kilograms at each knee. It\u2019s the biomechanical loading, the physicals, of the load going through that joint. When you lose a kilogram you feel the difference in your knee, hip, ankle joints or your lower back.\u201d<\/p>\n A sedentary lifestyle is a big issue that Cameron Harris, who has been a personal trainer for nearly 20 years, sees with his clientele, who are typically entrepreneurs or businessmen who sit in an office a lot. \u201cImagine a 45-year-old person who works in an office for 10 hours a day. Their glutes and abs are disengaged and your body starts to switch those muscles off. If you try to run you\u2019re not ready for it, and if you try to squat the form won\u2019t be good.\u201d<\/p>\n As we age<\/a>, it can become more common to experience joint pain. As well as the wear and tear element that\u2019s traditionally thought of, the accumulation of bad sleep<\/a> and diet can add up over the years and contribute to aches or sluggishness in the body. <\/p>\n The best and worst exercises<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no particular exercise that can cause joint pain alone, it\u2019s a case of asking if the person is strong enough and well conditioned enough to do the level of exercise that they\u2019re doing,\u201d says Ian Gilham, a physiotherapist at Opus. <\/p>\n Weight training is great \u2013 if done properly<\/p>\n A classic issue Gilham sees is people lifting too heavy in the gym, when they don\u2019t have the base strength they need. The gym can be great for strengthening muscles around a joint, which in turn will help but the form needs to be correct and exercises executed properly. \u201cPeople don\u2019t realise that strength and resistance training<\/a> is good for joints as long as it\u2019s within safe confines and training safely. It increases the blood supply to the bone cartilage and tissue and keeps them healthier for longer,\u201d adds his colleague Porter. <\/p>\n The experts recommend seeing a personal trainer or physiotherapist before starting any form of new exercise as they\u2019ll be able to show you how to perform exercise without injuring yourself. <\/p>\n The load in the gym is also important. Putting your body under heavy machinery or dumbbells can take its toll on joints, especially if they aren\u2019t yet strong enough to cope with it. Instead of jumping up in the amount of weight you\u2019re lifting, Porter says to increase weights by two to five kilograms (maximum) a week. <\/p>\n Running can be problematic<\/p>\n![\"Dr](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/SEI_258406474_99d5b6.jpg\")
Sports medicine physician David Porter says weight control is important when it comes to protecting the joints (Photo: Opus Biological)<\/p>\n
![\"Ian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/SEI_258406472_3b0754.jpg\")
Physiotherapist Ian Gilham sees a lot of issues after people lift too heavy in the gym (Photo: Opus Biological)What to do if you have joint pain<\/p>\n