Looking After Your Cartilage

Many of the joints in our body are called ‘synovial’ joints, meaning they are filled with a smooth lubricating fluid (synovial fluid) and lined with cartilage on the ends of the bones that make up the joint. This ensures the joint can move freely and with minimal friction, and the cartilage helps to protect the underlying bone.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis involves changes to the cartilage (as well as the underlying bone), and is associated with various factors including age, physical activity, and mechanical stress.¹

What is Cartilage?

Cartilage is a unique tissue as it doesn’t have any blood supply. It gets its nutrients directly from the surrounding joint fluid through a process called imbibition – and getting these nutrients is critical for cartilage to stay healthy and repair itself.

Think of a sponge; each time you squash it (load it), the surrounding fluid moves in and out of the sponge. Cartilage is much firmer than a sponge and doesn’t squash down very much, but it gets its nutrients in the same way.

Excessive mechanical stress on cartilage may exceed its ability to recover and repair itself. This can include increased body weight and excessive exercise (especially with inadequate rest).¹

So, what can you do to look after your cartilage?

1. Most importantly, regularly and appropriately loading cartilage seems to be important for cartilage health.² That means - you guessed it - exercise!
2. If appropriate, losing weight can help reduce the overall mechanical stress on the cartilage.
3. If you are exercising frequently, ensuring you have adequate rest is important to allow your body to recover and repair.