The Biggest Lie About Arthritis

Dr. Alyssa Kuhn, arthritis specialist, wishes more people knew this common belief isn’t true:

Move on from this myth

Contrary to popular belief, movement does not worsen arthritis—avoiding movement does. Inactivity reduces what your body is capable of, and accelerates stiffness, weakness, and pain.

In fact, by the science, exercise ranks as the most effective arthritis treatment, matching or exceeding popular drug-based pain relief, without the side effects. And as for ibuprofen and friends, a 2024 study found regular use of NSAIDs (like ibuprofen) was linked to worse symptoms and a threefold increase in total knee replacement risk:

Association of long-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with knee osteoarthritis: a prospective multi-cohort study over 4-to-5 years

The biggest problem is that medications mask pain, but don’t address the underlying problem, and so deterioration can be accelerated by wear and tear while the body isn’t paying attention.

But, doesn’t movement make the wear and tear worse?

It can, if you overdo it and/or do it very wrong. However, done gently and correctly, movement actually helps, because cartilage behaves like a sponge—moving a joint compresses and releases it, allowing nutrients to circulate. Without movement, cartilage is underfed, increasing irritation, inflammation, and pain.

Three strategies for getting it right:

1. Start simple: focus on two or three exercises at a time, rather than trying to do everything at once.
2. Warm up: give your body time to prepare before walking, stairs, sports, or lifting. Warm-ups are not just for intentional exercise sessions! They’re useful before any change in physical activity.
3. Adapt rather than quitting: modify movements instead of abandoning them. For example, you could raise a chair for squats, use your arms to assist you, change how you use the stairs, or briefly reset your movement during a walk.

Lastly, Dr. Kuhn wants us to know that arthritis is not a binary of “can” or “can’t.”

The more useful question is: “how can I do this differently right now?”

For more on all of this, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

For a much more comprehensive guide to ideal exercises, consider:

Yoga Therapy for Arthritis – by Dr. Steffany Moonaz & Erin Byron

…which is a particularly good book, much better than most of its kind, because:

• One of the problems with arthritis and exercise is that arthritis can often impede exercise.
• Another of the problems with arthritis and exercise is that some kinds of exercise can exacerbate arthritis.

This book deals with both of those issues, by providing yoga specifically tailored to living with arthritis. Indeed, the first-listed author’s PhD in public health was the result of 8 years of study developing an evidence-based yoga program for people with arthritis, including osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

The authors take the view that arthritis is a whole-person disease (i.e. it affects all parts of you), and so addressing it requires a whole-person approach, which is what this book delivers, and so that’s why we highly recommend it.

Take care!