Seven easy ways to protect your joints long term

But vigorous high-impact sports, such as football, rugby and netball, are best avoided by most midlifers, says Ian McDermott, a consultant knee surgeon at London Sports Orthopaedics.

“People persist despite starting to get niggling pains, thinking they can overcome them. But those pains mean you’re heading towards osteoarthritis,” he says. “It’s time to take up something gentler on joints such as walking, swimming or cycling.”

“People persist despite starting to get niggling pains, thinking they can overcome them. But those pains mean you’re heading towards osteoarthritis.”

Try tai chi or yoga

A 16-week study of 50 volunteers aged over 60 in The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness found that while both exercise regimes helped with general movement and coordination, tai chi was better at strengthening knees and hips.

“Gentle strengthening exercises are strongly recommended. The key is generally to stay fit and healthy,” says Deborah Eastwood, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon and president-elect of the British Orthopaedic Association.

“What’s great for your health is best for your joints,” she says. “That means good habits such as staying off the sofa and avoiding chips, chocolates and smoking.”

Wear sturdy flats

Your footwear can be crucial joint protectors, according to a six-month study of more than 160 people. Physiotherapists at the University of Melbourne, Australia asked volunteers aged over 50 to wear either supportive shoes with thick soles that didn’t bend much, or flat shoes with thin, flexible soles, for six hours a day.

Some experts believe flexible soles help protect joints by allowing more natural movement of the leg and foot. However, the study in last year’s Annals of Internal Medicine reported that 60 per cent of people in the supportive shoe group enjoyed reduced knee pain, compared with only 40 per cent of those who wore flat, flexible footwear. Flexible wearers, the study found, were twice as likely to develop ankle or foot pain.

If you’re wearing running shoes, trendy ones with heels can increase pain compared with completely flat (though highly supportive) ones, reports another study, published in March by investigators at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. They warn in the journal Gait & Posture that heeled running shoes make the knee bend more, which puts increased stress on the joint.

Ditch the fast food

Tucking into convenience foods on a regular basis may speed the deterioration of joints by causing chronic inflammation. The problem is that foods such as ready meals and pizza are high in industrial fats that promote the growth of toxic bugs in our guts, researchers at the University of Rochester, New York, warn.

Their studies on lab mice found the toxic bacteria caused chronic inflammation throughout the rodents’ bodies, leading to rapid joint deterioration.

Changing one’s diet will help, but the researchers also reported in the journal JCI Insight in 2018 that consuming probiotic bacteria, such as the common yoghurt additive Bifidobacteria, seemed to help keep toxic bugs at bay, even in convenience-food consumers.

However, as for taking costly supplements that promise to “boost” joint health or even regenerate cartilage, don’t bother, says McDermott: “None of them work. The supplement industry is a multi-billion-pound con,” he says. “The only one worth taking regularly is vitamin D [for those who] are deficient. Eating a healthy fresh diet with regular oily fish is the best thing you can do.”

“If you can maintain a positive mental attitude then your ability to cope with aches and pains is improved.”

Watch your weight

Being overweight or obese is reported to be the “largest modifiable risk factor” for joint problems such as osteoarthritis and knee, hip and ankle pain, according to Versus Arthritis.

Carrying just 3 kilograms of extra weight can mean an added 14 kilograms of pressure on your knees and other lower body joints as you walk. Extra weight also puts an additional load on your spinal discs, which can lead to back pain.

A study of more than 2500 volunteers in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism found a strong link between people with a high body mass index and disc degeneration in people with joint pain in their lower backs. The researchers also suggested fat cells may exacerbate the problem by causing chronic skeletal inflammation.

Treat yourself to moderate tipples

The Queen reportedly gave up one of her treats – an evening dry martini – last year on the advice of doctors who warned it may be bad for her joints.

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In fact, scientists are still fathoming alcohol’s effects. A study of 2000 Brits aged over 45 found that while drinking beer seems to increase the risk of joint problems in knees and hips, moderate wine consumption might actually lower the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis.

Moderation certainly appears to be key, say experts at the Arthritis Foundation charity. “While moderate drinking may reduce some risks of developing arthritis, if you already suffer from arthritis or a condition like gout, it may do more harm than good.”

Keep feeling positive

“Do everything you can to keep your moods happy, not least for the sake of your joints,” says Eastwood. “Research suggests low mood exacerbates people’s experience of arthritic pain. This can put them off exercising. Sedentariness worsens pain levels and restricts physical flexibility, so people exercise less. It all becomes a vicious spiral.

“If you can maintain a positive mental attitude then your ability to cope with aches and pains is improved,” she adds. “As a consequence, you get out and enjoy an active social life and get the joint-fostering benefits that gentle exercise brings.”

The Telegraph, London

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