How to take care of your joints while exercising

Updated October 2022 | 5 min read
Expert contributors Alanna Antcliff, physiotherapist, Netball Australia; Sarah Evans, exercise physiologist, Inspire Health Services
Words by Kerry McCarthy

Protecting your joints when playing sport can support our wellbeing at every age. Read our tips on caring for your joints while exercising.

Healthy joints are essential when it comes to leading an active and healthy life, from the most leisurely swim to a high-intensity fitness class.

What is joint health?

Joints are the points where two or more bones meet to allow for movement, like the knee, elbow, ankle, and in the fingers and toes.

Good joint health means pain-free, easy movement that’s not stiff or too loose. A healthy joint can take a reasonable load without experiencing symptoms like pain, swelling or sprain.

According to Better Health Victoria, the greater the range of movement in a particular joint, the greater the risk of injury. This is because the extra range of motion is more likely to weaken the joint strength over time. Knees and shoulders are the most commonly injured joints due to the large range of movement they can sustain.

Joint issues and injuries range from mild to more severe, and can include:

• pain or swelling caused by injury
• arthritis – the swelling or tenderness of one or more joints
• bursitis – inflammation of the fluid-filled pads that cushion joints
• tendonitis – inflammation of a tendon (common types are tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow)
• infection.

Are you at risk of joint injury?

While certain joint conditions, like osteoarthritis, have risk factors relating to family history and obesity, some joint pain or problems are the result of wear and tear as we age.

Sarah Evans, a strength and conditioning coach and exercise physiologist at Inspire Health Services, says the greatest risk factor for joint injury is doing nothing at all.

“Not moving can be one of the worst things we can do for our joints, because they’re designed to move and to have load put through them. If that doesn’t happen, joints can get stiffer or dry, so then when we do use them it’s very uncomfortable,” Sarah explains.

On the flip side, the sportier we are, the more likely we are to injure our joints if we don’t know how to take care of them.

“The most common sporting injuries I see are in the fingers, shoulders, knees and ankles,” she says. “They’re the joints that move the most or take the most load. Because they have greater range of motion, a lot more things happen to them.”

How to keep joints healthy and protect them from injury

There are things we can do every day to help support and protect our joint health. We can learn a lot from the approach many elite athletes take without the need for high-intensity training.
Netball Australia’s lead physiotherapist Alanna Antcliff says preparation and consistency are key when it comes to preventing injury.

“Preparation and strength training are like your armour. It can take 10 to 12 weeks to really build that protection, and then it needs to be continued to be effective,” says Alanna, who developed the KNEE injury prevention program, aimed initially at players aged 11 to 15. It’s now used by netballers of all ages and levels.

It’s important to note that, especially with younger players, strength training doesn’t mean pumping iron in the gym.

“Body weight training can be effective in developing strength and control,” says Alanna. “That might be exercises such as squats, bridges or balancing on one foot. It doesn’t need to be about lifting heavy weights.”

Another element of injury prevention that can be forgotten is rest.

“Every person’s body needs a break,” explains Alanna, who says it’s important not to over train, and people of all ages should build up to high-intensity sports after a period of rest.

Low-impact exercises that support joint health

Caring for our joints isn’t something we should only be concerned about in later life or following an injury. Without healthy joints our activity level and overall health can be affected.
Walking is one of the easiest forms of exercise we can do to keep our joints healthy. It ensures regular movement throughout the body while putting very little strain or stress on our primary joints.

“Walking is something you can do every day that keeps your joints moving,” says Sarah. “But it’s important to mix it up. Walking, stretching and even doing some gentle squats over the week will make sure you’re moving your whole body, which makes for better overall health. You could add an activity like swimming, too – backstroke is particularly good for working shoulder joints.”

Other low-impact exercise and sports that support healthy joints are:

• pilates
• yoga
• cycling
• rowing
• tai chi.

Is high-impact exercise better than low-impact exercise?

High-intensity exercise that raises your heart rate and improves cardiovascular fitness doesn’t have to result in joint injury or pain.

But you should avoid diving straight into a netball team if you’ve never played or suddenly doing burpees at the gym with no lead-up.

Sarah encourages a slow start to any exercise or sport that puts sudden or extra load on joints.
“One of the best things you can do is an ongoing strength program, where you work on your technique and build up to any high-intensity movement,” she says. “When your body gets to practice the biomechanical movements, it will learn how to respond when you’re actually in the exercise class or playing those sports. The best way to prevent injury is to have strong muscles around your joints.”

If you have existing joint problems some exercises may be best avoided like long-distance running or singles tennis. In singles tennis, there are prolonged periods of stress and sudden changes of movement.

High-intensity team sports, like outdoor soccer or doubles tennis, can be gentler on joints because there are regular breaks in pace and movement. There’s also a walking netball competition now available for seniors across Australia which is a lower impact version of the popular sport.
Finally, it’s important not to forget the fundamental aspect of playing sports – which is to enjoy yourself. “Have fun!” says Alanna. “Sports are meant to be fun, and the benefits for your mental health are really important.”

Do you want to reduce your joint pain?

The Osteoarthritis Healthy Weight for Life program is designed for people suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee and hip joints and aims to support HCF members who want to reduce the pain in their joints, improve their mobility or prepare for hip or knee surgery.

From the comfort of your own home, you’ll get access to:

• a dedicated team of health experts
• nutritional and lifestyle support to assist with weight management
• strength and mobility progress tracking
• digital week-by-week guides
• strengthening exercise videos and education.

The Osteoarthritis Management program^* is open to HCF members who've held hospital cover that covers joint replacement surgery for two months, with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 28 and higher, who have knee or hip osteoarthritis and are considering joint replacement surgery.