For most people, osteoarthritis is a progressive condition. That is, it starts gradually but gets worse over time.
Maybe you’ve played five-a-side football for years. At a certain point, you become aware of a slight knee pain after the sessions. It’s barely noticeable at first. But, over the weeks, the discomfort becomes more prominent. In the end, it’s impossible to ignore.
Once you’ve been officially diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis, it’s natural to think: what next? Should you give up the sport you enjoy? Or stop exercising altogether? Here are some thoughts.
Why does sport cause arthritic pain?
Osteoarthritis is basically wear-and-tear damage to the cartilage that covers your joints. This type of cartilage is very resilient. But not endlessly so. Once it wears away, the underlying bone is left exposed. When the damaged area rubs against adjacent bones, the joint mechanism no longer runs smoothly. There’s grinding. And this causes pain, swelling, inflammation. Throw an impact-heavy activity into the mix – like football – and you may find it triggers or exacerbates those symptoms.
Which sports are worse for an arthritic knee?
The keyword here is “impact”. High-impact activities are things that put greater “load” through your joint. Walking up or down stairs, for example, increases the load-pressure on your knees by a multiple of six. So you can imagine what certain sporting activities might do. Any sport that involves jumping, lunging, squatting, skipping, lifting weights and kneeling will put more pressure on your joints. Think team sports like rugby, football, basketball. Or competitive tennis and squash. But even running, too.
Is exercise itself a problem?
No. In fact it’s equally important if you have osteoarthritis – if not more so. As the NHS puts it: “If osteoarthritis causes you pain and stiffness, you may think exercise will make your symptoms worse. However, regular exercise that keeps you active, builds up muscle and strengthens the joints usually helps to improve symptoms. Exercise is also good for losing weight, improving your posture and relieving stress, all of which will ease symptoms.” You can read more about why on our blog: Why is exercise good for arthritis knee pain?
So which sports are best?
It may sound like we’re ducking the question, but this depends on you as an individual. There really is huge variation: what suits one patient won’t necessarily suit another. A lot of this comes down to the mechanics of your arthritis damage – the extent of it, the location, and so on. So if you’ve played tennis all your life and you’re able to continue, and you’re not putting yourself at greater risk of injury, it may make sense to carry on. But if the sport you enjoyed is consistently causing flare-ups, swelling, pain, then there are good alternatives to consider:
Consider a lower-impact sport
There are several go-to sports that will give you good exercise but should reduce the pressure on your joints. The ones most frequently recommended are: swimming, water aerobics, cross-training and rowing. But many arthritis sufferers swear by cycling too. We know patients who can barely walk but are able to cycle for many miles without discomfort. It’s not an absolute rule. Some people don’t get on with cycling. But they tend to be quite rare. Yoga and Pilates, though not quite sports in the conventional sense, may be worth thinking about too.
Consider modifying the sport you enjoy
Rather than ditch your favourite sport entirely, you might like to “repurpose” it. A good example is doubles tennis in place of competitive singles. You’re still on court, still using the skills you know well, but in a gentler context. Long-distance cross-country runners could think about shorter distances on more predictable surfaces, or a switch to walking and hiking. Five-a-side footballers might consider walking football.
Do what feels comfortable
In the end, the sport you choose comes down to what feels comfortable for your knees. If it’s working for you and helping to keep you fit and socially active, and not putting your knees at serious risk of injury, it probably makes sense to carry on with it: use it or lose it, as they say. But of course everyone’s different. If you’re unsure about how to build exercise into your arthritis treatment, talk to your doctor, your physiotherapist – or to us. We’ll be glad to look at the issues with your knee and help you think through the best options for keeping yourself active and on top of your symptoms.
