Why do our joints click?

Performing weight-bearing exercises, such as brisk walking and dancing, or resistance training exercises, like weightlifting, can put pressure or stress on your bones, forcing them to work harder and stay strong.^5,13 

Exercise can also help increase your skeletal muscle mass as well as potentially reduce the effects of crepitus.^15,16 Skeletal muscles are the muscles that connect to your bones and help you to keep moving, which is also important to maintain, with one animal study suggesting that exercise can help alleviate joint swelling and disease severity in joints, and potentially improve skeletal muscle too. Although this seems promising, more research in human populations is required.^{17,18, 19} 

Even if you have a condition like arthritis, you’re advised to move your body where you can to help maintain good muscle strength.¹¹ In fact, some research has found that living a sedentary lifestyle can exacerbate the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis due to the impact regular exercise can have on reducing inflammation and fatigue.^{20, 21,22}

Importantly, however, being underweight due to malnutrition could also increase your risk of broken bones and conditions like osteoporosis.^25,26

Although more research is needed in both these areas, it’s important to maintain an overall balanced, healthy diet that fulfils all of your nutrition needs and in turn supports your joint health.²⁷

The below are thought to contribute to your joint health. 

Calcium can help build your bones and keep them healthy, making regular intake essential when looking to take care of your joints.¹⁴ In fact, not having enough calcium can potentially lead to the development of osteoporosis later in life.^26,28,29 

Luckily, most people can get the calcium they need through a balanced diet, including dairy, green leafy vegetables, fortified bread and plant-based milk.^26,28 However, if you’re deficient, you may be recommended to take a calcium supplement.

Your bones and cartilage are also mainly made from a substance called collagen, which naturally declines as you get older.^30,31,32 Limited research shows that collagen supplements might help to combat this and help manage joint pain.^32,33,34,35 

Vitamin C has also been shown to promote healthy collagen production and can be found in many common foods.^36,37,38 You can make sure you’re consuming plenty of vitamin C by including foods like citrus fruits and broccoli in your diet.^38,39 

Taking vitamin C supplements could also help you boost your intake, some emerging studies suggest; however, more scientific data in the human population is needed.^40,41