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Written by: Urara Donohoe
Exercise is good for you, but in excess can it result in musculoskeletal issues such as joint pain, wear and tear? As the weather improves, many of us will up our exercise regime, and it is common to start feeling back aches from that extra half-hour in the garden, or runner’s knee from going out and pounding the pavement in the sunshine. Contrary to popular belief, moderate exercise is very good for your joints, as long as you look after them. This article will explain why and how you should take a little time to take care of your muscles, tendons and ligaments, to protect your joints as you enjoy outdoor pursuits this summer.
A little about how exercise stresses your body
The most common post-exercise pain arises from stress on the muscles, tendons and ligaments, often presenting as tight muscles or achy joints. These are not injuries, like broken bones, sprains or strains. Rather, it is a natural consequence of increased movement causing temporary wear and tear. Your body has ample healing power to repair any wear and tear caused by most moderate exercise. People only tend to develop problems if muscles, tendons and ligaments are chronically tight, which can lead to inflammation, chronic joint pains and even joint damage like osteoarthritis.
What is osteoarthritis?
Mayo clinic (2025) defines osteoarthritis as wear and tear of the protective cartilage inside the joints, eventually leading to the loss of cartilage. When the cartilage has worn through, bone starts to rub against bone, and this will not only cause pain but permanent changes to the movement and function of your joints. It is one of the most common causes of aches and pains in old age. But is such joint damage inevitable in life? Are you increasing the risk of developing osteoarthritis through exercise?
“Use it or lose it”
Even though exercise was once considered one of the causes of osteoarthritis and other joint disorders, it has become known in the last several decades that nothing is further from the truth. In fact, moderate exercise has been shown in a major Cochrane study as more effective at treating osteoarthritic knee pain, outperforming painkillers such as ibuprofen (Henriksen et.al., 2016). As it turns out, with joints and your musculoskeletal system, it is more “use it or lose it”; chronically sedentary lifestyle is more likely to cause chronic joint and muscular pain and loss of mobility in older age (Garcia Meneguci et.al., 2021).
How does exercise protect your joints?
A key aspect of protecting your joints is to keep your muscles healthy and supple, and your bones properly mineralised. Moderate exercise has been shown to increase joint stability and better mobility. Not only that, movements and stretching bring blood flow and nutrients to the mechanical parts of your joints including your bones, helping them heal and maintain structural integrity (Buckwater, 1996).
Your joints are better than car parts
When you damage crucial car parts, you will have to replace them for the car to work. It is also true that when joints get severely damaged, people may need joint replacement surgeries. This can happen through severe diseases like autoimmune rheumatoid arthritis, which has a much severer impact than your daily exercise routine. Fortunately, unlike car parts, your body comes equipped with the ability to heal the normal wear and tear inflicted on your joints. So by helping your body heal, you will also increase the longevity of your joints.
Your physio was right: you need to stretch
One key mechanism of joint damage is through constantly tight muscles, tendons and ligaments. Mechanically, it makes sense that when the joints are constantly pulled together, it will increase the friction on the cartilage and the slippery lining of your joints, increasing their wear and tear. Nice stretchy muscles, tendons and ligaments preserve healthy joints (Zvetkova et.al., 2023). In addition, as discussed above, movement and stretching bring essential blood flow and nutrients to the affected parts, helping your body heal any damage. As with preventing most chronic conditions, it is also about reducing inflammation with your joints - does that mean ibuprofen is your go-to for joint pain? After all, isn’t that why Non-steroidal Anti-Inflammatories (NSAIDs) have ‘anti-inflammatory’ in their name?
Considerations Around Long-Term NSAID Use
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, are widely used to help relieve pain and inflammation. Like all medicines, they can carry potential risks, particularly when used frequently or over extended periods. These may include gastrointestinal, kidney, and cardiovascular side effects, depending on the individual and their medical history.
Some research has explored whether prolonged NSAID use may influence aspects of tissue healing and joint health. While findings continue to be investigated, studies have suggested that long-term, regular use may affect certain biological processes involved in cartilage maintenance and repair (Jian, et.al. 2026). Other research has reported associations between frequent NSAID use and changes in joint health in some populations (Brooks, 2022), although these findings do not establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship.
Pain also serves as one of the body's natural protective signals. Although NSAIDs can help manage discomfort, reducing pain may make it easier to continue activities that could place additional strain on an injured joint if appropriate rest and recovery are overlooked.
Anyone considering the long-term use of NSAIDs should seek advice from a qualified healthcare professional to determine the most appropriate treatment for their individual circumstances.
Natural joint and muscle support with herbs
This is where herbs excel – along with stretching, the plant allies will support your body’s natural repair process, helping increase the longevity of your joint tissues. Whether you are doing a spot of gardening or playing high-intensity tennis or football, muscle and joint aftercare will go a long way to keeping your musculoskeletal system optimal for longer.
Muscle balm for sports recovery
Zen Maitri’s joint and muscle balm is an excellent product, especially for athletes looking for herbal muscle rub. It contains comfrey root, known for thousands of years for its ability to repair bones, cartilage, muscles, tendons and ligaments. Rubbing the balm onto your affected joints will not only help bring essential nutrients deep into your joint tissues, but will work to support the body’s natural repair of any wear and tear incurred through your sports regimen.
Natural anti-inflammatory massage oil
Massage is a great way to support joint repair, and Zen Maitiri’s Mahanarayan oil, uses an age-old Ayurvedic formulation to enhance the body’s natural recovery from post-exertion muscular tension and joint pain. It is a fantastic remedy for runner’s knee, gardening back pain and any muscular after-effects of exertion.
If the joint pain feels a little nervy
If you’ve played too much tennis or golf and are feeling aches in your elbow and surrounding muscles, try Zen Maitiri’s nerve oil to help soothe the sensitive nerves that can get irritated by these repetitive movement activities. This organic and anti-inflammatory massage oil contains potent anti-inflammatory effect of frankincense and nerve and muscle repairing effect of St John’s wort to help soothe the pains of both tennis and golfer’s elbows.
Natural joint pain supplement
Those of you who engage in regular exercise may want to keep your system optimised via natural joint supplements, such as Zen Maitri’s Joint and Muscle Capsules. It contains turmeric and frankincense, well known for their potent inflammatory modulating effects, as well as Devil’s Claw Root, long used to ease joint pain in Central America and Celery Seed, a traditional British arthritis remedy. It also contains ginger root to increase circulation to the periphery, bringing much needed nutrients and oxygen to help your body repair from regular wear and tear.
Natural remedy for joint stiffness
Finally, to reward yourself after your work-out, soak your muscles in Zen Maitri’s Joint and Muscle Bath Salts. This Magnesium-rich bath salt, infused with nettle and meadowsweet will naturally relax your inflamed muscles without compromising the repair process in your body. To further aid the recovery, the beautifully aromatic essential oil combination will not only make your bathtime thoroughly enjoyable, it will both increase circulation to your joints and periphery while relaxing you at the same time. This will counteract any delayed-onset muscle soreness.
We hope you enjoy experimenting with our practitioner-grade herbal sports support products and add them to your daily routine whenever you increase your exercise regime during the beautiful summer weather. All Zen Maitri products are plant-based and clean, with traceable organic ingredients.
References
Allen, J., Imbert, I., Havelin, J., Henderson, T., Stevenson, G., Liaw, L., & King, T. (2017). Effects of Treadmill Exercise on Advanced Osteoarthritis Pain in Rats. Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.), 69(7), 1407–1417. https://doi.org/10.1002/art.40101
Brooks, L. NSAIDs may worsen arthritis inflammation. (2022). Radiological Society of North America. https://www.rsna.org/media/press/i/2379
Buckwalter J. A. (1996). Effects of early motion on healing of musculoskeletal tissues. Hand clinics, 12(1), 13–24.
Garcia Meneguci, C. A., Meneguci, J., Sasaki, J. E., Tribess, S., & Júnior, J. S. V. (2021). Physical activity, sedentary behavior and functionality in older adults: A cross-sectional path analysis. PloS one, 16(1), e0246275. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0246275
Henriksen, M., Hansen, J. B., Klokker, L., Bliddal, H., & Christensen, R. (2016). Comparable effects of exercise and analgesics for pain secondary to knee osteoarthritis: a meta-analysis of trials included in Cochrane systematic reviews. Journal of comparative effectiveness research, 5(4), 417–431. https://doi.org/10.2217/cer-2016-0007
Jian, Y., Lyu, Y., & Hashemolhosseini, S. (2024). Exploring the Causal Relationship between Ibuprofen Use and Osteoarthritis Risk: A Mendelian Randomization Study. Biology, 13(9), 748. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13090748
Mayo Clinic. (2025, April 8). Osteoarthritis. https://www.mayoclinic.org/. Retrieved July 7, 2026, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/osteoarthritis/symptoms-causes/syc-20351925
Zvetkova, E., Koytchev, E., Ivanov, I., Ranchev, S., & Antonov, A. (2023). Biomechanical, Healing and Therapeutic Effects of Stretching: A Comprehensive Review. Applied Sciences, 13(15), 8596. https://doi.org/10.3390/app13158596
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