Is Walking Bad for Arthritic Knees?

Knee osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis and it's typically due to wear and tear. So, it's only natural to these questions: Does walking wear down my joints? And is walking bad for arthritic knees? (1) Quick answer: No. As a matter fact, walking is great for your knees and general health.  Listed below is a list of reasons why it's beneficial and why you should, at the very least, give it a try.

7 ways walking helps with knee arthritis

1. Walking relieves pain and improves joint function.

The Arthritis Foundation has a program called Walk With Ease (WWE) which essentially helps relieve pain from arthritis through exercise. The main part of this, of course, is having a walking plan that's tailored to your needs. (2) Now, according to a study, the people who had tried WWE ultimately had more confidence, were less depressed, and had less pain. Also, all these people were able to walk more just 6 weeks into the program. (3) A large part of why this is possible is that, compared to many other forms of exercise, walking is low-impact so it won't advance your knee osteoarthritis more it normally should.

2. Walking can help you lose weight

Speaking of low-impact, you can put as much as 200-300% of your body weight on your knees even when you're walking normally. (4) This isn't an issue at all if you're within your healthy weight but carrying extra kilos puts more strain on your joints. This can make arthritis symptoms worse. On the flip side, weight loss of as little 10% of your baseline weight can lead to significant pain relief and functional improvement. (5) Walking is an excellent – not to mention sustainable – way of losing weight. I suggest you use a pedometer to track your baseline number of steps and slowly increase from there.

3. Walking can help control inflammation

A study shows that just 20 minutes of brisk walking on the treadmill lowers inflammatory markers. This, of course, translates to walking outside the treadmill. Like your local park, for example, where the scenery and ventilation is many times better. (6) As arthritic joints are associated with inflammation, controlling that inflammation is the most effective way of dealing with its other symptoms. And walking is a big part of that. 

4. Walking promotes better range of motion. 

Among the many consequences of inactivity include reduced range of motion. Stiffness is also one of the main symptoms of arthritis which leads to loss of function.  Walking counteracts both.  When you walk more, you move more. Thus, preserving, if not improving the range of motion of all your major joints. This can even help delay the progression of this disease. 

5. Walking can improve your balance and coordination

In physical therapy, training balance and coordination often involves several variations of walking exercises. These include walking sideways, heel-to-toes, and step ups.  Outside of the clinic where there's likely no one to guard you, however, your physical therapist will simply recommend a healthy walking routine.  This already accomplishes the goal of improving your balance and coordination which, in turn, can prevent dangerous falls. 

6. Walking strengthens the muscles around your joints

A study from the European Review of Aging and Physical Activity shows significant improvements in muscle quality after just 10 weeks into regular walking. Pair your walks with home strength training and you get even better results. (7) This boost in strength is crucial to those of us with arthritis for many reasons. For one, strength is a huge factor in developing balance. Strong muscles also help protect your weight-bearing joints as they help absorb and disperse impact. 

7. Walking can improve your mood

Multiple studies have supported the notion of walking improving both mood and stress levels. (8, 9) This is important because stress can make arthritis pain worse. So if you’re feeling down, go for a walk – it might just help boost your mood while relieving pain. 

Conclusion

Walking is one of the easiest and most effective ways to stay fit and healthy. It helps build strong muscles, keep your weight in check, reduce stress, boost heart health, and much more. So if you have arthritic knees, don’t let that stop you from enjoying a good walk. Just be sure to warm up before and cool down after, and listen to your body if it starts to hurt. When it does, remember not to push yourself too much. After all, rest is just as important as activity. 

Resources:

1. Hsu H, Siwiec RM. Knee Osteoarthritis. [Updated 2021 Jul 25]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507884/
2. “Walk With Ease: About the Program.” Arthritis Foundation, www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/healthy-living/physical-activity/walking/walk-with-ease/wwe-about-the-program. Accessed 6 May 2022.
3. Bruno, Michelle et al. “Effectiveness of two Arthritis Foundation programs: Walk With Ease, and YOU Can Break the Pain Cycle.” Clinical interventions in aging vol. 1,3 (2006): 295-306. doi:10.2147/ciia.2006.1.3.295
4. D'Lima, Darryl D et al. “Knee joint forces: prediction, measurement, and significance.” Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Part H, Journal of engineering in medicine vol. 226,2 (2012): 95-102. doi:10.1177/0954411911433372
5. Messier, Stephen P et al. “Intentional Weight Loss in Overweight and Obese Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: Is More Better?.” Arthritis care & research vol. 70,11 (2018): 1569-1575. doi:10.1002/acr.23608
6. Dimitrov, Stoyan, et al. “Inflammation and Exercise: Inhibition of Monocytic Intracellular TNF Production by Acute Exercise via β 2 -Adrenergic Activation.” Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, vol. 61, 2017, pp. 60–68. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2016.12.017.
7. Yoshiko, Akito et al. “Effects of 10-week walking and walking with home-based resistance training on muscle quality, muscle size, and physical functional tests in healthy older individuals.” European review of aging and physical activity : official journal of the European Group for Research into Elderly and Physical Activity vol. 15 13. 19 Nov. 2018, doi:10.1186/s11556-018-0201-2
8. Matzer, Franziska et al. “Combining walking and relaxation for stress reduction-A randomized cross-over trial in healthy adults.” Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress vol. 34,2 (2018): 266-277. doi:10.1002/smi.2781
9. Edwards, Meghan K, and Paul D Loprinzi. “Experimental effects of brief, single bouts of walking and meditation on mood profile in young adults.” Health promotion perspectives vol. 8,3 171-178. 7 Jul. 2018, doi:10.15171/hpp.2018.23

About The Author:

Kris Ceniza is a Physiotherapist in the Phillipines who has a special interest in Knees and Arthritis. He is also the manager for Knee Force.com Learn more here: https://kneeforce.com