Trouble with the knee and other joints is a problem that is commonly associated with the elderly, especially with people above the age of 60. However, that is no longer the case, Dr Aashay B Mody, consultant orthopaedic surgeon and director at Welcare Hospital, Vadodara, told HT Lifestyle.
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“A 31-year-old software professional walked into my clinic convinced something was seriously wrong with his knee. No injury, no fall, no sport — just a dull, persistent ache that worsened by evening. His scans were unremarkable. What he actually had was a body that sat for eleven hours a day and moved for almost none of them,” revealed Dr Mody.
According to the surgeon, this case study no longer represents the exception, but rather, the modern norm. The knee and spine problems that were once associated with ageing are now appearing two to three decades earlier. He blamed the increasingly sedentary lifestyle of the youth.
“Add rising rates of early weight gain, vitamin D deficiency from indoor living, and weekend-warrior bursts of intense exercise on untrained bodies, and you have the perfect setup for early joint strain,” he stated. However, the good news is that this is mostly preventable.
How cycling protects the knee
The answer to rising knee pain among the youth is the regular riding of bicycles, according to Dr Mody. Explaining how, the surgeon stated, “The knee is only as healthy as the muscles around it. Cycling builds the quadriceps, hamstrings and gluteal muscles – the exact groups responsible for stabilising the knee and offloading the joint itself.”
“Stronger muscles mean less load transmitted through cartilage. It helps the spine too. Maintaining an upright, engaged posture on a properly fitted bicycle activates the core and the muscles along the back, gently countering the slumped posture most of us hold all day. Done regularly, cycling rebuilds the muscular support system that a sedentary routine quietly erodes.”
Cycling beats running and jumping by being more low-impact than them. Dr Mody explained that for a person who has been already deconditioned from exercise or carries extra weight, running and jumping can aggravate the joints instead of strengthening. However, with cycling, one gets a cardiovascular and muscular workout with a fraction of the joint stress.
Cycling as preventive healthcare
Cycling not only keeps a person physically fit, but also mentally healthy. According to Dr Mody, “Cycling, especially outdoors, is rhythmic, repetitive and meditative. It lowers stress, lifts mood and improves sleep – and people who feel mentally well are far more likely to stay consistent with the very movement that protects their joints.”
In the end, mobility is a long game, and what one does in their thirties affects how they are in their sixties and seventies. Cycling is therefore considered by Dr Mody as preventive healthcare.
In his words, “It strengthens the joints, supports the spine, protects cardiovascular health and steadies the mind – all at once, and at almost no cost to the body. You do not need expensive gear or a cycling club. Twenty to thirty minutes, a few times a week, at a comfortable pace, is enough to begin reversing the slow damage of a sedentary life.”
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
