Active Joint Supports: Our Muscles

Joints allow us freedom of movement; without them we lose our ability to stay active, mobile, and independent.  Walking, squatting, biking, reaching, hiking, stooping, lifting, sitting, running… all impossible without the ability for joints to move freely, stay stable, and work together.   As important as they are to living an active life, are we really taking as good of care of them as possible?  In physical therapy sessions, I get asked about my recommendations for good joint supports and braces.  Looking for a good joint support?  Why not start with your muscles?  A joint’s stability is maintained by its joint capsule, cartilage, ligaments, tendons (end points of muscles), and the muscles.  Research hasn’t found a way to replace cartilage yet; ligaments can be repaired, but this requires surgery.  There is no way to strengthen or tighten a joint capsule.  So what does that leave?  Our body’s active joint support: the muscles.  The heart of a physical therapist’s treatment is improving the function of these active joint supports.  Muscles pull on joints to make them move, but they also hold joints stable when you’re not moving.  They provide the dynamic support to a joint, keeping the bones in good alignment and maintaining stability when you are moving.  When you are trying to improve the active support of a certain joint, try to strengthen all the muscles surrounding that joint.  If you’re unsure of what to strengthen to support a joint for management of pain or for prevention of musculoskeletal conditions, find a physical therapist to help you design an exercise plan.  The best bracing options start with your body’s natural active supports.

Link to knee anatomy.  Note all of the muscles surrounding the knee to give it stability.

Video showing the knee joint, including the muscles surrounding it, and arthrosis (degenerative arthritic changes).