How Movement Heals Your Joints
In the body, It’s Not ‘Wear & Tear’ — It’s ‘Wear & Repair’
Most people are told their joints are “worn out.” But that’s not how the human body works.
Unlike a car, your body is alive — it repairs and rebuilds itself every day. If our car gets scratched on the fender, it cannot heal the damage on its own. Even after 6 months, the scratch remains.
But if you get a wound in your arm, it heals within 6 weeks — because your body is alive and constantly repairing itself.
Your joints follow the same rule.
Hence, it is wrong to call Osteoarthritis “Wear and Tear” arthritis. It should be called “Wear and Repair” arthritis. Engaging in appropriate exercise can optimise our bodies’ readiness for surgery and recovery. It may also potentially decrease pain significantly to allow you to completely avoid surgery.
What exercises are best for arthritis?
Many people believe that walking or swimming are the best exercises for hip or knee arthritis. These can help, but neuromuscular exercises often give greater benefits.
With arthritis, the muscles weaken and the joints lose some of their natural ability to sense movement and position. This sense is known as proprioception. Neuromuscular exercises address both issues by improving muscle strength and joint control at the same time. By retraining how the body senses and responds to movement, these exercises help improve stability, reduce pain, and make everyday activities easier and safer.
Why are Neuromuscular exercises good?
Many people find that when they start exercising with arthritis, certain movements feel uncomfortable. This is often because the joint is unstable, not because the exercise is harmful. That initial discomfort can make people lose confidence and stop exercising too soon.
That’s where neuromuscular exercises help.
They are designed to:
- Improve joint control
- Strengthen supporting muscles
- Improve balance and stability
- Retrain how your body senses movement
By making the joint more stable, these exercises help you move with less pain and more confidence, so it’s easier to keep progressing safely.
Is there any evidence that neuromuscular exercises are better?
Yes, there is a lot of evidence that supports neuromuscular exercises for hip and knee arthritis.
- 52% ↓in use of pain-killer – Thorlund JB et al., Br J Sports Med, 2021
- 40% ↓ in requiring hip replacements – Clausen S et al., Arthritis Res Ther, 2021
- 68% ↓ in requiring total knee replacements – Skou ST et al., Osteoarthritis Cartilage, 2018