Why Weight Control and Regular Movement Are Central to Osteoarthritis Treatment

The moment usually arrives on a staircase. One knee complains on the way down, the hand finds the rail without being asked, and a person who has never thought of themselves as old catches a glimpse of their own careful descent. Later, a clinician says the word osteoarthritis and, almost in the same breath, talks about weight control, osteoarthritis knee pain and the value of moving more. It can land like a lecture.

It is not one. The advice sits at the top of every major treatment guideline for a reason that has more to do with physics and biology than with willpower. A knee is a hinge that carries several times body weight on every step, and cartilage, the smooth cushion that lines the joint, has no blood supply of its own. It depends on movement to stay nourished.

This article explains what is actually happening inside an arthritic knee, why load and muscle matter so much, what the evidence says about how much change is meaningful, and what a realistic first few months look like.

What is knee osteoarthritis, and why does it hurt?

Osteoarthritis is a condition in which the cartilage lining a joint gradually thins and roughens while the bone underneath and the tissues around it change in response. The old label of “wear and tear” describes only part of the picture. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the joint is better understood as an organ that has run out of repair capacity: cartilage breaks down faster than it can be rebuilt, the bone beneath thickens, small bony spurs form at the edges, and the lining of the joint can become inflamed.

Cartilage itself has no nerve endings, which raises an obvious question. If the cushion cannot feel, where does the pain come from? The answer lies in everything around it. The synovium, the thin membrane that lines the joint and produces its lubricating fluid, carries nerves and becomes irritated. Bone marrow beneath thinning cartilage develops changes that are visible on MRI scans and correlate with pain. Ligaments, the capsule of the joint, and the muscles that stabilize the knee all contribute.

This matters for treatment. If pain came only from missing cartilage, nothing short of replacing the joint would help. Because it comes largely from load-sensitive, inflammation-sensitive tissues, changing the load and calming the inflammation can change the pain. That is the whole premise behind putting weight and movement first.

Mayo Clinic describes the typical course as slow and variable. Some knees stay stable for years. Others progress. The factors most consistently linked with faster progression are excess body weight, muscle weakness, previous joint injury and malalignment, which means the leg carries force through one side of the knee more than the other. Two of those four can be influenced without a scalpel.

How weight control changes the load on an osteoarthritic knee

Walk across a room and each knee absorbs a force several times your body weight, because the muscles that move you generate force in addition to the weight they carry. Harvard Health summarizes biomechanical research showing that every pound of body weight translates into roughly four pounds of extra pressure through the knee joint during walking. Turn that around and the arithmetic becomes encouraging: losing ten pounds removes about forty pounds of force from each knee on every step.

Multiply that by a modest day of walking, perhaps 3,000 to 5,000 steps, and the cumulative difference in load on a sore joint runs into the tens of tons. Cartilage that is already thinned does not have to bear it. Bone beneath it is spared. The irritated lining is compressed less often and less hard.

The effect shows up in the research on who develops the condition in the first place. The Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center cites data from the long-running Framingham study in which women who lost about 11 pounds cut their risk of developing knee osteoarthritis by roughly half. Prevention and treatment share the same mechanism.

None of this means body weight causes arthritis in a simple, blameworthy way. Plenty of lean people develop knee osteoarthritis, often after injury, and plenty of people with higher body weight never do. Load is one dial among several. It happens to be the dial that responds to change within months rather than years, which is why clinicians reach for it early.

It also explains why the knee, more than the hip or the hand, is the joint where weight matters most. It sits directly in the line of force and has less bony congruence to spread the load.

Fat tissue is not just weight: the inflammation connection

Here is the piece that the four-pounds-per-pound story leaves out. Hand osteoarthritis is also more common in people with higher body weight, and no one walks on their hands. Something other than mechanics is at work.

Adipose tissue, the medical term for body fat, is metabolically active. It releases signaling proteins called adipokines and inflammatory messengers such as interleukin-6 into the bloodstream. Cleveland Clinic and Johns Hopkins both describe a state of persistent, low-grade, whole-body inflammation in people with obesity, and cartilage cells respond to those signals by producing enzymes that degrade the very matrix they are supposed to maintain.

The synovium is particularly responsive. In a joint bathed in inflammatory messengers, the lining thickens, produces more fluid and becomes more sensitive to normal loads. That is one reason a knee can ache after a day of sitting, when mechanical stress has been minimal.

There is a further twist. The knee contains its own fat pad, tucked behind the kneecap tendon, and this local depot can itself become inflamed and contribute to pain. Weight reduction appears to reduce systemic inflammatory markers, and exercise independently lowers them, which is part of why the two work better together than either alone.

The practical message is not that inflammation makes the situation hopeless. It is the opposite. If part of the pain is chemical rather than purely structural, then a knee that looks the same on an X-ray can feel considerably different once the chemistry improves. People often notice that their pain eases before their weight changes very much, and this is likely why.

What the evidence does not support is any claim that a particular food, supplement or “anti-inflammatory” product treats osteoarthritis on its own. The benefit sits with overall dietary pattern and energy balance, not with a single ingredient.

Weight control for osteoarthritis of the knee: how much makes a difference?

People frequently arrive at this question expecting a discouraging answer, imagining they must return to the weight they were at twenty-five. The evidence points somewhere gentler.

UK guidance from NICE, reflected in the NHS treatment advice for osteoarthritis, states that any amount of weight loss is likely to help, while losing around 10% of body weight is likely to be more beneficial than 5%. The threshold that appears repeatedly across studies for a noticeable change in pain and function is roughly 5% of starting weight. For someone weighing 200 pounds, that is ten pounds. For someone at 250, it is twelve and a half.

Why does a relatively small percentage matter so much? Return to the mechanics. A 5% loss at 200 pounds removes about 40 pounds of force from each knee per step. Layered on top of that is the reduction in inflammatory signaling and, if the loss is achieved partly through exercise, stronger muscle around the joint.

Trials that combine dietary change with structured exercise have consistently outperformed either approach alone for knee pain and walking function. The combination also protects muscle. Weight loss achieved purely by eating less tends to shed some lean tissue along with fat, and lean tissue is exactly what an arthritic knee needs more of.

Pace matters less than direction. Gradual loss maintained over a year does more for a joint than rapid loss regained within months. Mayo Clinic notes that even modest, sustained reductions can ease symptoms.

People whose weight is already in the healthy range are not being asked to lose anything. For them, the emphasis shifts entirely to movement and muscle. Your care team can tell you which group you fall into, and whether a referral to a dietitian or a structured weight-management program makes sense in your situation.

Why regular movement is a treatment, not an afterthought

Cartilage is one of the few tissues in the body with no blood vessels. It receives oxygen and nutrients from joint fluid, and that fluid moves through cartilage the way water moves through a sponge: compression squeezes waste out, release draws fresh fluid in. A knee that rarely bends and straightens is a knee whose cartilage is quietly starved. This is the physiological reason every major guideline, from NICE and the NHS to Mayo Clinic and MedlinePlus, lists exercise as a core treatment rather than an optional extra.

Muscle is the second reason. The quadriceps at the front of the thigh act as a shock absorber for the knee, decelerating the leg as the foot lands. Weak quadriceps mean more impact reaching the joint surfaces. Studies of people with knee osteoarthritis consistently find thigh weakness, and strengthening the thigh is one of the most reliable ways to reduce pain and improve the ability to climb stairs and rise from a chair.

The third reason is systemic. Regular aerobic activity lowers inflammatory markers, improves sleep, lifts mood and helps with weight control. Pain that has become chronic is amplified by poor sleep and low mood, so these are not side benefits.

There is a fear that needs addressing directly. Many people believe that using a worn joint will wear it out faster. The evidence does not support this for moderate activity. Studies following recreational walkers and cyclists with knee osteoarthritis over years have not found that appropriate exercise accelerates structural damage, and the NHS explicitly states that exercise does not make osteoarthritis worse. What does harm joints is prolonged inactivity, which weakens muscle, stiffens the capsule and allows weight to climb.

Movement should be dosed like any treatment: started gently, increased gradually, adjusted when symptoms flare.

What are some good exercises for knee osteoarthritis?

The most useful exercise is the one you will actually do three or four times a week for the rest of your life, so preference counts for a great deal. Within that, evidence and clinical experience point to a few categories that work well together.

Low-impact aerobic activity forms the base. Walking on level ground, cycling on a stationary or road bike, swimming and water-based exercise all move the knee through its range under manageable load. Water is especially forgiving, because buoyancy removes a large share of body weight from the joints while still providing resistance for the muscles.

Strengthening comes next and is arguably the most important element for the knee specifically. Exercises that build the quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteal muscles and calves give the joint the muscular support it lacks. Sit-to-stand repetitions from a chair, step-ups onto a low step, straight-leg raises while seated, and wall sits held for a few seconds are commonly taught by physical therapists. Resistance bands and light weights can be added as strength improves.

Range-of-motion and flexibility work keeps the joint from stiffening. Gentle heel slides, seated knee extensions and calf and hamstring stretches, held rather than bounced, fit here. Tai chi and yoga adapted for people with arthritis combine flexibility with balance and have shown benefit for knee pain in clinical trials.

Balance training reduces fall risk, which climbs when a knee is unreliable. Standing on one leg near a counter, or heel-to-toe walking along a line, are simple starting points.

A physical therapist can tailor this list to your knee, your other health conditions and your goals. The NHS recommends a mix of strengthening and aerobic exercise for osteoarthritis; the specific movements matter less than the consistency and the gradual progression.

How to manage osteoarthritis in the knee week to week: a comparison of movement types

People tend to ask two things once they accept that exercise is part of treatment: how much, and how to fit it together. The CDC’s physical activity guidelines for adults, which apply to people with arthritis, call for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week, plus muscle-strengthening activity on two or more days. “Moderate” means you can talk but not sing. The NHS gives the same 150-minute figure.

That target is a destination, not a starting line. Many people with painful knees begin with ten minutes of walking and build from there. The table below summarizes how the main types of movement contribute and where each typically fits.

Type of movement	What it does for the knee	Typical place in a week	Everyday examples
Low-impact aerobic	Nourishes cartilage, aids weight control, lowers systemic inflammation, improves mood and sleep	Most days, building toward 150 minutes weekly	Walking, cycling, swimming, water aerobics, elliptical
Strengthening	Builds the quadriceps and hip muscles that absorb shock and stabilize the joint	Two or three non-consecutive days	Sit-to-stands, step-ups, leg raises, resistance bands
Range of motion and flexibility	Prevents stiffness, maintains full bend and straightening	Daily, often as a warm-up or wind-down	Heel slides, seated extensions, held stretches, yoga, tai chi
Balance	Reduces fall risk and improves confidence on uneven ground	Several times a week, a few minutes each	Single-leg stance at a counter, heel-to-toe walking

A typical week, then, might combine short walks or bike sessions on five days, two brief strengthening sessions, daily stretching and balance practice folded into moments such as brushing teeth. The structure is less rigid than it looks on paper. What matters is that all four categories appear and that the total gradually rises toward the guideline figures, with your care team adjusting the mix around other health conditions.

Who this approach is usually for, and who is usually asked to wait

Weight control and regular movement are recommended for essentially everyone with knee osteoarthritis, at every stage. Mayo Clinic, the NHS and MedlinePlus all describe them as first-line, meaning they come before or alongside medicines, injections and surgery rather than after those options have failed. Someone newly diagnosed with mild changes and someone with advanced disease awaiting joint replacement are both advised to move and, if relevant, to manage weight. The difference lies in how the plan is shaped.

For people in the earlier stages, the goal is often to slow progression and preserve function. For those with advanced disease, the goal shifts toward maintaining strength and mobility so that daily life stays manageable and so that, if surgery is eventually chosen, the leg is in better condition for recovery.

A few situations call for a pause or a modified approach rather than a green light. A knee that is suddenly hot, swollen and very painful needs assessment before exercise resumes, because infection or a crystal arthritis such as gout can mimic an osteoarthritis flare and require different treatment. A recent injury with locking or giving way should be examined first. Heart or lung disease that limits exertion, uncontrolled blood pressure, or a recent cardiac event means aerobic exercise should be planned with the relevant specialist. People with significant balance problems may need supervised sessions before exercising alone.

Weight loss itself is sometimes deprioritized. Older adults with low muscle mass, people with a history of disordered eating and people who are already in a healthy weight range are generally steered toward strength and movement without a weight target. Deciding which group you belong to is a conversation with your treating team, not a judgment to make alone.

What the first days and weeks usually look like

Expect the beginning to feel unremarkable, and expect some soreness. Muscles that have been protecting a painful knee by doing less are being asked to do more, and they answer with the ordinary ache of unfamiliar work. Clinicians and physical therapists commonly use a simple rule: discomfort during or shortly after exercise that settles within about 24 hours is acceptable; pain that is sharper than usual and persists into the next day suggests the session was too much, and the next one should be shorter or gentler.

In the first two to three weeks, changes are mostly invisible. Nerves learn to recruit muscle fibers more efficiently, so the leg feels a little steadier before it is measurably stronger. Stiffness on waking or after sitting often eases first. Many people also notice better sleep within this window, which affects how pain is perceived.

Measurable strength gains take longer. Research on resistance training generally finds meaningful increases in muscle strength in the range of six to twelve weeks of consistent work, and this timeline is echoed in the exercise programs used in osteoarthritis trials. Improvements in pain scores and walking distance tend to follow a similar course, with continued gains over months rather than weeks.

Weight, if that is part of the plan, moves at its own pace. Health services generally describe sustainable loss as gradual, and the joint responds to the direction of travel more than the speed.

Flares will happen. A weekend of gardening, a long drive, a change in weather, or no identifiable cause at all can bring a bad few days. The evidence-based response is to reduce rather than stop: shorter walks, water instead of pavement, stretching instead of strengthening, then a return to the previous level as symptoms settle. Complete rest for more than a day or two tends to undo progress.

Where medicines, injections and surgery fit alongside weight and movement

Nothing in this article argues against medicines. It argues for their proper place, which is alongside weight control and exercise rather than instead of them.

Pain relief in osteoarthritis is generally used to make movement possible rather than as an end in itself. Topical anti-inflammatory preparations, which are applied to the skin over the knee, are recommended early in NICE and NHS guidance because they carry fewer whole-body effects than tablets. Oral anti-inflammatory medicines act on the same inflammatory pathways and are used for limited periods, with attention to stomach, kidney and cardiovascular risk. Acetaminophen, known as paracetamol in some countries, has a weaker evidence base for osteoarthritis than was once believed. Any decision about these belongs with the prescribing clinician, who weighs your other conditions and medicines.

Corticosteroid injections into the knee deliver an anti-inflammatory directly to the joint. Mayo Clinic notes that relief typically lasts a few weeks to a few months, and repeated injections are limited because of concern about cartilage effects. Hyaluronic acid injections have mixed evidence, and guidelines differ on whether to offer them. Newer approaches such as platelet-rich plasma or stem-cell injections remain investigational; current evidence does not establish that they treat osteoarthritis effectively, and mainstream guidance does not recommend them outside research.

Bracing, supportive footwear and walking aids redistribute load and can be helpful, particularly when one side of the knee is more affected than the other.

Joint replacement is considered when pain and disability persist despite everything above and substantially limit daily life. Even here, weight and muscle matter: surgical teams commonly ask people to build strength before the operation and to manage weight because both influence recovery and complication risk. The exercise habits built before surgery are the same ones needed after it.

What is it like living with osteoarthritis, and how do people live well with arthritic knees?

Honest accounts of living with osteoarthritis describe something less dramatic than constant agony and more wearing than occasional twinges. The knee becomes a negotiator. It has opinions about stairs, about long car journeys, about how quickly you get up from the sofa. Mornings begin with a stiffness that loosens over a few minutes. Certain days are unaccountably worse.

People who manage well tend to share a few habits, and they align closely with what guidelines recommend. They keep moving, in small doses throughout the day rather than in one heroic effort, because a knee that sits for two hours protests when asked to work. They plan around the joint without surrendering to it: choosing the table nearer the door, breaking a long walk into segments, using a rail on stairs without embarrassment.

They pay attention to weight not as a number on a scale but as a load their knee carries, and they use that framing to stay motivated when progress is slow. They notice that sleep, stress and mood change how much the knee hurts, and they treat those as part of the condition rather than separate problems.

Assistive tools earn their place. A cane held in the hand opposite the painful knee reduces load through that joint. Shoes with cushioned soles and a stable heel help. A raised toilet seat or a firm chair with arms turns a difficult movement into an easy one.

Many people describe an emotional adjustment as significant as the physical one: grief for activities given up, worry about the future, frustration at being slower. Cleveland Clinic and the NHS both point to self-management education and, where needed, psychological support as part of good osteoarthritis care. Telling your care team about low mood or anxiety is not a distraction from the knee; it is relevant to how the knee feels.

What people often get wrong about weight, exercise and knee osteoarthritis

Several beliefs circulate widely enough that they deserve direct correction.

The first is that exercise wears out an arthritic joint. As discussed above, the evidence points the other way for moderate, progressive activity. The NHS states plainly that exercise does not make osteoarthritis worse. Inactivity does.

The second is that the X-ray tells the story. Radiographic changes correlate poorly with pain. Some people with severe changes on imaging have little pain; others with mild changes have a great deal. Treating the picture rather than the person leads to unnecessary despair and unnecessary procedures.

The third is that weight loss only counts if it is large. The evidence threshold for meaningful benefit sits around 5% of body weight, and any loss reduces load. Waiting for a dramatic transformation before starting is a way of never starting.

The fourth is that a healthy weight means the advice does not apply. Muscle weakness affects lean people too, and strengthening remains central regardless of body size.

The fifth is that running or squatting is forbidden. Neither is banned for everyone. High-impact activity is a question of dose, technique and individual tolerance, and a physical therapist can help judge it.

The sixth is that supplements or special diets treat the disease. Glucosamine and chondroitin have been studied extensively, and the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements summarizes the results as inconsistent, with any effect on pain small at best and no convincing evidence of structural benefit. Turmeric, collagen and similar products lack robust evidence for osteoarthritis outcomes. They are not dangerous for most people, but they are not treatment.

The seventh is that surgery is inevitable. Many people with knee osteoarthritis never need a joint replacement, and those who do usually reach that point after years of managing well with the approaches described here.

Questions to ask your care team

A consultation moves quickly, and the questions that matter most tend to surface in the parking lot afterward. Writing a few down beforehand changes the quality of the conversation. These are the ones that tend to unlock useful, personalized answers.

• Based on my examination and any imaging, how would you describe the stage of my knee osteoarthritis, and what does that mean for what I should expect?
• Is my body weight a relevant factor for my knees, and if so, what range of change would you consider meaningful for me?
• Would a referral to a physical therapist help me build a safe exercise program, and can I be shown the exercises rather than just given a sheet?
• Which of my other health conditions or medicines should shape how I exercise or approach weight change?
• What kind of pain during or after exercise is acceptable, and what should make me stop and check in?
• Are there activities you would advise me to avoid or modify, and are there any you would actively encourage?
• How do the pain-relief options fit alongside exercise, and what are the trade-offs of each for someone with my history?
• Would a brace, insoles, a walking aid or particular footwear help redistribute load through my knee?
• How will we measure whether this plan is working, and when should we review it?
• At what point would you consider injections or a surgical opinion, and what would need to be true for that conversation to make sense?

It is reasonable to ask for a written summary of the plan, including the exercise targets and the review date. It is also reasonable to say when something feels unrealistic. A plan that cannot fit into your life is not a plan; it is a wish. Your care team would rather adjust it than watch it fail quietly.

When to call your doctor

Most knee osteoarthritis is managed in routine appointments, and most bad days pass with rest, gentler movement and time. Some situations should not wait for the next scheduled visit.

Seek prompt medical assessment if the knee becomes suddenly hot, red, markedly swollen and severely painful, particularly with fever or feeling generally unwell. These features can indicate infection within the joint or a crystal arthritis, both of which need urgent diagnosis and treatment distinct from osteoarthritis care. A joint infection is a medical emergency.

Call your care team if the knee locks so that it cannot fully bend or straighten, gives way repeatedly so that you fall or nearly fall, or if there was a specific injury followed by rapid swelling. These may signal a torn meniscus or ligament rather than a flare of arthritis.

Sudden pain, swelling or warmth in the calf, especially after a period of reduced mobility or long travel, could indicate a blood clot and needs same-day assessment. Chest pain or breathlessness with any leg swelling requires emergency care.

Contact your team more routinely if pain wakes you regularly at night or no longer responds to the strategies that used to help, if you find yourself unable to walk distances you managed a month ago, if new numbness or tingling develops in the leg or foot, or if pain from the knee is affecting your mood, sleep or ability to work in ways that feel unmanageable.

Finally, if you are using pain-relief medicine more often or in larger amounts than was agreed, tell the prescribing clinician. That pattern is information about how the plan is working, and it is safer to discuss than to manage alone. Every adjustment to your treatment, whether to medicines, exercise or a decision about surgery, sits with the team looking after you.

Frequently asked questions

How do I manage osteoarthritis in the knee day to day?

Day-to-day management rests on regular low-impact movement, strengthening the thigh and hip muscles, managing body weight if it is above the healthy range, and using pain relief as your clinician advises to keep you active. Breaking sitting time with short walks, using a rail on stairs and pacing heavier tasks across the week all reduce load on the joint. A physical therapist can shape a program around your knee and other health conditions.

Does losing weight help knee arthritis even if the damage is already there?

Yes, weight loss helps even when cartilage is already thinned, because much of the pain comes from load-sensitive tissues around the cartilage rather than from the cartilage itself. Reducing body weight lowers the force through the knee on every step and reduces inflammatory signaling from fat tissue. Guidance reflected in NHS advice suggests any loss is beneficial and around 10% of body weight is likely to help more than 5%.

What are the best exercises for knee osteoarthritis?

The best program combines low-impact aerobic activity such as walking, cycling or swimming with strengthening exercises for the quadriceps, hamstrings and hip muscles, plus daily stretching and some balance work. Sit-to-stands, step-ups and leg raises are commonly taught. Tai chi and adapted yoga have shown benefit in trials. The specific choice matters less than consistency and gradual progression, ideally guided by a physical therapist.

Will exercise wear out my arthritic knee faster?

No, moderate and progressive exercise has not been shown to accelerate joint damage in knee osteoarthritis, and the NHS explicitly states that exercise does not make the condition worse. Cartilage depends on movement for nutrition, and stronger muscles absorb shock that would otherwise reach the joint. Prolonged inactivity, by contrast, weakens muscle, stiffens the joint and allows weight to rise, all of which worsen symptoms.

How much weight do I need to lose to notice a difference in knee pain?

Research on knee osteoarthritis most often identifies a change of around 5% of body weight as the point where pain and function improve noticeably, with larger losses tending to bring larger benefits. For a person weighing 200 pounds, 5% is ten pounds. Because each pound removed reduces knee load by roughly four pounds per step, according to research summarized by Harvard Health, even small changes matter.

What is it like living with osteoarthritis of the knee?

Living with knee osteoarthritis usually means morning stiffness that eases with movement, pain that fluctuates from day to day, and a knee that dislikes stairs, long sitting and uneven ground. Many people describe an emotional adjustment as well as a physical one. Those who manage well tend to keep moving in small doses, plan around the joint without surrendering to it, and treat sleep, mood and weight as part of the condition.

How long does it take for exercise to help knee osteoarthritis?

Stiffness and confidence often improve within the first two to three weeks as the nervous system recruits muscle more efficiently, but measurable strength gains generally take six to twelve weeks of consistent work, based on resistance-training research. Pain and walking distance tend to improve on a similar timeline and continue to improve over months. Progress is rarely linear, and flares along the way are expected rather than a sign of failure.

Can I still walk or hike with arthritic knees?

Walking is one of the most recommended activities for knee osteoarthritis, and many people continue hiking with adjustments such as trekking poles, cushioned footwear, shorter descents and breaking longer routes into segments. Downhill walking loads the knee more than flat ground, so building up gradually matters. If a particular distance or terrain consistently causes pain lasting into the next day, that is a signal to scale back and discuss it with your care team.

Do glucosamine or turmeric supplements treat knee osteoarthritis?

Current evidence does not establish that glucosamine, chondroitin, turmeric or collagen supplements treat knee osteoarthritis. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements describes the glucosamine and chondroitin research as inconsistent, with any effect on pain small at best and no convincing evidence of protecting cartilage. They are not dangerous for most people, but they are not a substitute for weight control, exercise and the treatments your clinician recommends.

When should I consider knee replacement instead of weight control and exercise?

Joint replacement is usually considered when pain and disability persist despite consistent exercise, weight management and appropriate pain relief, and when they substantially limit daily life or sleep. That decision belongs with you and your treating team after a full assessment. Even when surgery is chosen, the same habits of strengthening and weight control remain important, because they influence recovery and are needed after the operation as well as before it.

References

• NHS: Osteoarthritis, Treatment and support
• CDC: Adult Activity, An Overview (Physical Activity Guidelines)
• MedlinePlus: Osteoarthritis

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified doctor about your individual situation.