Routine exercise through your youth and middle years won’t cause arthritis as you age. Exercise is necessary to keep your joints healthy. Here are a few recommendations to help prevent arthritis:

• Properly care for injuries. If you experience a traumatic injury to one of your joints, get proper treatment, and rehab. Injuries that do not properly heal can significantly impact the development of arthritis later in life. Injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus in the knee can lead to early arthritis development. If you have ACL damage, you have a 60 to 90 per cent chance of having some arthritis within 10 to 20 years of the injury.
• Stay active, but don’t overdo it. Regular exercise is important for preventing arthritis. However, you must carefully listen to your body when pain arises. If exercise is causing joint pain, have it evaluated. Consider reducing the frequency or intensity of sports that place a high demand on your joints, or alternate between sports.
• Maintain a healthy weight. Obesity has a significant impact on a person’s joint health.