25-10 - Flipbook - Page 25
October 2025
now and later in life, and a number of
simple steps which we can all take to
stay as mobile as possible for longer.
Our knees rely heavily on four surrounding muscle groups 3 the hamstrings, the
gluteal muscles, the quadriceps muscles
and the calf muscles. These support the
knee and provide it with the stability and
shock absorption capability that enables
it to function.
"When these muscles aren't interacting
and working together, that's when you
put more stress on the joint," says Chhabra. "That's what leads to pain."
Research has shown that strengthening these muscle groups through exercise can avoid
degeneration of the cartilage in the knee which leads to osteoarthritis. This can either delay
or prevent the need for knee replacement surgery. Some studies also indicate that keeping
these muscles strong can decrease the load on the joint and reduce pain in people in the
early stages of osteoarthritis.
Alexis Colvin, a professor of orthopaedic surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount
Sinai in New York, US, explains that exercise can also improve the health of the cartilage
cells themselves.
"There's like a motor oil on the inside of our knees called synovial fluid," she says. "Exercise
helps stimulate production of it, which decreases stiffness and inflammation, and helps with
lubricating the cartilage surface."
Some exercises can also strengthen the knee bones themselves, reducing the risk of osteoporosis or bone thinning around the knee joint in later life. Knee strengthening can be particularly important for older adults, says Chhabra, as improving the stability of the surrounding muscles can reduce the risk of falls.
But knee exercises can have other surprising and often overlooked benefits such as improving proprioception 3 the subconscious awareness of where our body parts are in space. This
"sixth sense" can help to improve our mobility and balance.
"Knee exercises help with this awareness," says Chhabra. "It's really getting your mind to connect to your knee which again will decrease risk of falls."
Colvin says that it is never too early to begin working on strengthening your knees. While
most research into the benefits of knee strengthening is done in older adults with existing osteoarthritis, studies carried out in adolescents who play a lot of sport have found that knee
strengthening exercises, even at this young age, can play a big role in reducing risk of injury. For the rest of us, Colvin personally says she recommends beginning in your thirties.
