Joint Pain

Joe Fleming reviews the nine workout habits that might be causing your joint pain or making it worse.

Millions of people worldwide suffer from chronic joint pain. In response to the increase in cases of joint pain, a lot of research has come out proclaiming that exercise is perfect for relief.

It helps reduce inflammation and strengthens the muscles, tendons, and other tissues supporting the joints.

While exercise is great for relieving joint pain, it is essential to realize that not all forms of exercise are created equal when it comes to eliminating and preventing pain.

If you have been exercising regularly but still suffer from joint pain, your habits might be to blame. Read on to learn about nine workout habits that could be causing or making your joint pain worse.

Wearing the Wrong Shoes

Unsupportive footwear can seriously exacerbate joint pain. It is especially true if you struggle with knee or ankle pain.

You can also create issues if you wear the wrong shoes for a specific activity.

For example, wearing overly padded shoes while weightlifting can negatively affect your form. Conversely, wearing too flat shoes during cardio can put too much strain on your joints.

Improper Workout Fuel

Exercise is excellent for reducing inflammation. But, whether trying to lose weight or minimize stiffness and swelling, you cannot out-exercise a bad diet.

Make sure you are fuelling your body properly for your workouts. It means eliminating (or significantly reducing) your consumption of processed foods, alcohol, sugar, and refined carbohydrates. These foods are all known to aggravate inflammation and pain.

Eat many anti-inflammatory foods, such as berries, leafy greens, and fatty fish. Instead of refined carbohydrates, focus on whole grains like oatmeal or whole wheat bread.

Skipping the Warm-up

When you are short on time, it is tempting to skip your warm-up and jump straight into the workout. However, this is one of the worst things you can do if you struggle with joint pain.

A thorough warm-up prepares your body for the workout, improves blood flow, and prepares your joints for vigorous activity.

Make sure your warm-up includes 5-10 minutes of light cardio, like walking, followed by 5-10 minutes of dynamic exercises that mimic the movements you will be doing during your workout.

Skipping the Cool Down

It is also vital to ensure you do not skip your post-workout cool-down. When you have finished exercising, take some time to lower your heart rate. Do some light walking, then take 5-10 minutes for static stretching.

Focus on stretching the muscles you targeted during your workout. It will help relieve tension and prevent pain and soreness the next day.

Performing the Same Moves Over and Over Again

Do you do the same workout every time you go to the gym? If so, you could wear down your cartilage (tissue at the ends of the bones that absorb the shock) and cause overuse injuries. Over time, this can lead to issues like knee, elbow, or ankle tendonitis.

Mix up your workouts to give specific muscles and joints a break. This will give your muscles time to repair and regenerate, resulting in better results.

Ignoring Your Form

If you ignore your form while you work out, no matter how dedicated you are to your training sessions, you will see less-than-ideal results and be more likely to cause joint pain and other injuries.

It is vital to focus on your form when performing compound exercises like squats or lunges. Keep your knees behind your toes during these movements and avoid letting them roll inward or outward.

Pay attention to your feet, too, and make sure your weight is evenly distributed at each point during the exercise. It can be helpful to take your shoes off and do these exercises barefoot to learn how to connect to your feet during the movement.

Overdoing High-Impact Exercise

High-impact exercises (jump squats, box jumps, burpees, etc.) are not great for people with joint pain. Even if you feel fine now, it is essential to approach these exercises cautiously, as they can also cause joint pain by wearing down the cartilage

If you are doing these types of exercises, the form is crucial.

It is also essential to do them at the right time during your workouts. High-impact exercises are best done at the beginning of your workout, after your warm-up, so you have enough energy to complete them with good form.

Not Resting Enough

More is not always better when it comes to exercise.

If you train six or seven days a week, you might be doing too much and making your joint pain worse (or setting the stage for developing joint pain later on).

Be sure to give yourself time to recover between workouts. This will allow your muscles to repair, and you will be less likely to burn out.

Skipping Strength Training

Strength training is the best exercise for preventing and reducing joint pain. It strengthens the muscles, bones, and other tissues that protect the joints.

If you are only doing cardio, add two or three days of strength training to mix things up and improve your results.

There is special emphasis on compound movements like squats, rows, and overhead presses. These functional movements target all major muscle groups.

Final Thoughts

You might be doing many things during your workouts that cause or exacerbate your joint pain.

Look at your workouts and consider if any of these habits have crept into your regimen. Take steps to eliminate them and see if your pain gets better.

Page Reference

If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:

FLEMING, J. (2018) Joint Pain [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article373.htm [Accessed 11/5/2025]

About the Author

Joe Fleming is the President at ViveHealth.com. Passionate about healthy lifestyles and living a full life, he enjoys sharing and expressing these interests through his writing. To inspire others and fight ageism, Joe writes to help people of all backgrounds and ages overcome life's challenges. His work ranges from articles on wellness, holistic health, and ageing to social narratives, motivational pieces, and news stories. For Joe, helping others is vital.

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This website uses cookies placed by third-party services that appear on our pages. Cookies are used for ads personalisation. You consent to these cookies if you continue to use this website. The site does use Google ads and Google have published information about Google’s use of information.


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Millions of people worldwide suffer from chronic joint pain. In response to the increase in cases of joint pain, a lot of research has come out proclaiming that exercise is perfect for relief. It helps reduce inflammation and strengthens the muscles, tendons, and other tissues supporting the joints. While exercise is great for relieving joint pain, it is essential to realize that not all forms of exercise are created equal when it comes to eliminating and preventing pain. If you have been exercising regularly but still suffer from joint pain, your habits might be to blame. Read on to learn about nine workout habits that could be causing or making your joint pain worse. Wearing the Wrong Shoes Unsupportive footwear can seriously exacerbate joint pain. It is especially true if you struggle with knee or ankle pain. You can also create issues if you wear the wrong shoes for a specific activity. For example, wearing overly padded shoes while weightlifting can negatively affect your form. Conversely, wearing too flat shoes during cardio can put too much strain on your joints. Improper Workout Fuel Exercise is excellent for reducing inflammation. But, whether trying to lose weight or minimize stiffness and swelling, you cannot out-exercise a bad diet. Make sure you are fuelling your body properly for your workouts. It means eliminating (or significantly reducing) your consumption of processed foods, alcohol, sugar, and refined carbohydrates. These foods are all known to aggravate inflammation and pain. Eat many anti-inflammatory foods, such as berries, leafy greens, and fatty fish. Instead of refined carbohydrates, focus on whole grains like oatmeal or whole wheat bread. Skipping the Warm-up When you are short on time, it is tempting to skip your warm-up and jump straight into the workout. However, this is one of the worst things you can do if you struggle with joint pain. A thorough warm-up prepares your body for the workout, improves blood flow, and prepares your joints for vigorous activity. Make sure your warm-up includes 5-10 minutes of light cardio, like walking, followed by 5-10 minutes of dynamic exercises that mimic the movements you will be doing during your workout. Skipping the Cool Down It is also vital to ensure you do not skip your post-workout cool-down. When you have finished exercising, take some time to lower your heart rate. Do some light walking, then take 5-10 minutes for static stretching. Focus on stretching the muscles you targeted during your workout. It will help relieve tension and prevent pain and soreness the next day. Performing the Same Moves Over and Over Again Do you do the same workout every time you go to the gym? If so, you could wear down your cartilage (tissue at the ends of the bones that absorb the shock) and cause overuse injuries. Over time, this can lead to issues like knee, elbow, or ankle tendonitis. Mix up your workouts to give specific muscles and joints a break. This will give your muscles time to repair and regenerate, resulting in better results. Ignoring Your Form If you ignore your form while you work out, no matter how dedicated you are to your training sessions, you will see less-than-ideal results and be more likely to cause joint pain and other injuries. It is vital to focus on your form when performing compound exercises like squats or lunges. Keep your knees behind your toes during these movements and avoid letting them roll inward or outward. Pay attention to your feet, too, and make sure your weight is evenly distributed at each point during the exercise. It can be helpful to take your shoes off and do these exercises barefoot to learn how to connect to your feet during the movement. Overdoing High-Impact Exercise High-impact exercises (jump squats, box jumps, burpees, etc.) are not great for people with joint pain. Even if you feel fine now, it is essential to approach these exercises cautiously, as they can also cause joint pain by wearing down the cartilage If you are doing these types of exercises, the form is crucial. It is also essential to do them at the right time during your workouts. High-impact exercises are best done at the beginning of your workout, after your warm-up, so you have enough energy to complete them with good form. Not Resting Enough More is not always better when it comes to exercise. If you train six or seven days a week, you might be doing too much and making your joint pain worse (or setting the stage for developing joint pain later on). Be sure to give yourself time to recover between workouts. This will allow your muscles to repair, and you will be less likely to burn out. Skipping Strength Training Strength training is the best exercise for preventing and reducing joint pain. It strengthens the muscles, bones, and other tissues that protect the joints. If you are only doing cardio, add two or three days of strength training to mix things up and improve your results. There is special emphasis on compound movements like squats, rows, and overhead presses. These functional movements target all major muscle groups. Final Thoughts You might be doing many things during your workouts that cause or exacerbate your joint pain. Look at your workouts and consider if any of these habits have crept into your regimen. Take steps to eliminate them and see if your pain gets better. Page Reference If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is: FLEMING, J. (2018) Joint Pain [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article373.htm [Accessed 11/5/2025] About the Author Joe Fleming is the President at ViveHealth.com. Passionate about healthy lifestyles and living a full life, he enjoys sharing and expressing these interests through his writing. To inspire others and fight ageism, Joe writes to help people of all backgrounds and ages overcome life's challenges. His work ranges from articles on wellness, holistic health, and ageing to social narratives, motivational pieces, and news stories. For Joe, helping others is vital. Cookies This website uses cookies placed by third-party services that appear on our pages. Cookies are used for ads personalisation. You consent to these cookies if you continue to use this website. The site does use Google ads and Google have published information about Google’s use of information.