4 Ways to Keep Your Joints Healthy

New York Times

01-08-2025

When I was younger, I used to spring out of bed. Now, it's more like a slow heave — my knees and hips protesting as I release a middle-aged groan.
But I've gotten some relief by stretching for five minutes each morning. I picked this tip up from Dr. Gbolahan Okubadejo, a spine surgeon in New York and New Jersey. He told me that he's been doing this every morning to keep his joints and muscles limber. Now I do the same.
We should think of our joints as more than just 'hinges on a machine,' said Dr. M. Lucius Pomerantz, an orthopedic surgeon in San Diego. 'We should be nurturing them,' he said. A joint is anywhere two bones meet, and we have about 350 of them. They're essential for movement, flexibility and stability.
I asked experts for their best tips on how to keep them supple.
Regular movement are critical for joint health, Dr. Okubadejo said. Our hip, shoulder, knee and elbow joints are called synovial joints; they contain fluid that helps nourish the cartilage by preventing wear while the joint is in motion.
Movement helps circulate the fluid and lubricate those joints, averting stiffness and discomfort, said Dean Padavan, associate program director of Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship at Atlantic Health.
In addition to regular stretching, Dr. Okubadejo recommends 150 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous exercise. That could be gentler, joint-friendly activities such as yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi, or something more intense, like swimming laps.
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