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That said, there’s no doubt the symptoms of osteoarthritis can make the activities of daily life less enjoyable. Joint pain, stiffness and swelling and muscle weakness make going up stairs, sitting and rising out of a chair and walking uncomfortable. The same can be said for playing tennis, sitting cross-legged in a yoga class or squatting and lunging at the gym, which is why so many people with sore knees give up on exercise altogether.
While we’re talking about pain, how do you know whether an exercise is helping or hurting your knees? Normally pain is considered a red flag, with most exercise professionals recommending stopping or, at the very least, modifying your workout if it hurts. Given that exercise goals and pain tolerance vary considerably between individuals, it’s often beneficial to find an athletic therapist, physiotherapist or strength and conditioning specialist to help achieve the right balance of exercises to feed and strengthen the joints. You don’t need an intense workout to benefit your knees. Regularity is more important than intensity.
'Contrary to what you may have heard, high-impact activities like running don’t speed up the onset of osteoarthritis'. This is really not a reason to encourage high-impact training. From someone with knee surgery who got released from the military because of acute PTF syndrome.
Because you can get them replaced anytime, paid for by the Canadian taxpayer.