Cartilage loves a walk

Inside your joints, the ends of the bones are covered in cartilage. This smooth, springy layer absorbs shock and lets the bones glide over each other easily.

Why does cartilage need movement?

Cartilage has no blood vessels, so it does not get its nutrients from blood but from the fluid inside the joint. It works like a sponge:

• when you put weight on it, fluid is squeezed out,
• when you take the weight off, it soaks up fresh fluid.

The more often this cycle repeats, the better the cartilage is "fed". That is why we say movement oils the joint.

What does this mean day to day?

You do not need a gym for it. Cartilage likes whatever is rhythmic and repeated:

• walking,
• taking the stairs at your own pace,
• cycling,
• standing up and moving around once an hour if you work sitting down.

The stiffness you feel after sitting still for a long time is often a sign that the joint has gone without this "pumping" for a while.

The question is not whether you move a lot at once, but whether you move often enough.

When to ask for help

If a joint hurts, swells, or movement makes your complaint worse, do not experiment on your own. At a first visit we look at what is behind it and work out together what kind of loading suits you.