When a person suffers with joint pain, their whole body suffers with it. This is especially true when the pain is in their knees and hips, the two biggest joints in the body that do the work of keeping us standing and moving forward.

When pain in those joints limit motion, cutting out exercise, even getting up from a prone or seated position become reasonable choices to make.

Don’t, says Evan Cataldo, APRN, a Health First Medical Group Orthopedic Surgery Provider.

If your joints are painful, you should get a medical diagnosis before you start to work out or exercise, he tells Vero News. “You want to make sure you’re not going to make your situation worse by doing things that aren’t appropriate.”

Healthy, pain-free hips and knees are a quality-of-life issue, he says. They offer balance, bodily control and the ability to be active, from sports to walking or traveling. Hip and knee strengthening exercises can also help with balance and stability, posture – and even mood, the publication reports.

“That strength is important for everyday activities,” Cataldo says, “including walking, going up and down stairs, getting out of a chair, standing up off the floor, and jumping.”

“Take care of your body in general. Put the right stuff in it and stretch every day. Don’t wait too long to get checked if you’re dealing with pain. If it doesn’t abate after a week, it’s time to get it checked by a medical professional. We can’t control our heredity, but we can eat foods that aren’t inflammatory and make sure we are exercising in a beneficial way.”

READ the full feature in Vero News HERE.