A few weekends ago while in Karate practice (my family and I are on track to complete a three-year black belt program next month), I did a pivot and my knee didn’t follow my foot. Then, for good measure, I did the same move with the other foot. OOF.

Twenty-four hours later, I was in the ER, having both of my knees ex-rayed. “Meniscus tears,” the technician said cheerily. R-I-C-E protocols, a recommendation for Advil (which I declined, because I don’t take pain meds) and a promise that I should be right as rain in a few weeks.

“Oh,” she said on the way out, “you should know, you have arthritis in both knees.”

That stopped me. 7 years ago, I'd received a diagnosis of early onset arthritis, but with dietary changes and mobility work, I managed to send it packing and remain virtually pain free.

But here I was, again.

Arthritis is tricky, because there isn’t really a protocol to “get rid of it” — especially since there are different types (osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, etc.).

But here’s what I’ve learned from research and clinical guidelines, and what I’m doing to remain as limber, flexible and strong as I can be:

• Osteoarthritis (OA) = the most common type, tied to wear-and-tear, aging, and hormonal shifts (especially in women after menopause).
  👉 OA can’t be “cured” (cartilage doesn’t grow back), but pain, stiffness, and progression can be slowed or even significantly improved with the right approach.
• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) = autoimmune, where the immune system attacks joints. This requires medical management, often with disease-modifying drugs.
  👉 Lifestyle helps here too, but medical treatment might be required. This might also be gut-related, as all auto-immune issues start in the gut.

Movement & Mobility Work Become Your Arthritis Allies

If you have joint stiffness and/or you’ve been diagnosed with arthritis of any kind, know this: movement and mobility work are now your best friends for overcoming stiffness, joint pain and movement limitations. Unlike medications or injections, mobility work addresses the root issue—stiffness, inflammation, and restrictions in movement—giving your joints the freedom and fluidity they crave. Let’s unpack why movement and mobility are your most powerful tools.

1. “Motion Is Lotion” for Your Spine

Physical therapists and orthopedic specialists commonly say, “motion is lotion.” Motion - of any kind, even gentle motion like walking - helps nourish the spine’s joints and discs—particularly crucial when arthritis invades the back:

• A major hospital system states that incorporating lower trunk rotations, knee-to-chest stretches, and hip flexor/hamstring mobility significantly relieves spinal osteoarthritis symptoms and improves comfort. Hospital for Special Surgery
• Mobility exercises ensure the spine’s vertebrae stay aligned and supple, while increasing blood flow for healing and flexibility. Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center

If walking hurts for you, start gently. Do what you can, but also look to improve your walking. Motion is very much a use-it-or-lose-it game, so fight for your motion and condition your body to understand you very much want to retain movement.

2. Mobility Eases Knee Pain and Improves Function

Mobility work isn’t about stretching—it's about restoring joint range, reducing stiffness, and improving pain and function. It’s not foam rollers or yoga. It’s teaching your body to move your joints through their full range of motion, and then strengthen that movement so full joint rotation becomes easier. My own experience bears this out, too. Even if you start out creaky, the more movement and mobility rotations you do, the better your body feels:

• A 2021 review found exercise training—especially mobility and therapeutic movement—significantly improved knee osteoarthritis pain, stiffness, and joint function. PMC
• Another key source confirms that regular strength and mobility work offers long-term relief, increases functional capacity, and slows arthritis progression. NCBI
• The Arthritis Foundation and CDC recommend range-of-motion work, along with low-impact movement like walking, swimming, Tai Chi, and cycling to maintain joint health. Arthritis FoundationCDC

3. Mobility Training as Your First Line of Defense

Mobility moves are trending on TikTok but they aren’t fringe— mobility is foundational to professional arthritis management:

• The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons guidelines for knee osteoarthritis strongly recommend exercise and activity (including mobility) as the first-line non-surgical intervention. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
• Experts at Johns Hopkins Arthritis Program also emphasize that exercise helps lubricate cartilage, reduce bone loss, and relieve swelling and stiffness—keeping joints healthy and strong. Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center

4. Mobility Slows Degeneration & Alleviates Pain

Good mobility doesn’t just feel good—it preserves joint structure and moves the needle on arthritis:

• Strengthening and mobility exercises improve cartilage integrity, muscle support, and shock absorption in osteoarthritis. JRheum
• Dynamic exercises—like seated aerobic movements combined with mobility—were shown to produce superior improvements in knee pain, function, and quality of life among people with knee arthritis. MDPI

5. Aquatic Mobility Buoys Relief

Water-based movement is a gentle way to mobilize joints without overloading them:

• Aquatic therapy reduces joint stress through buoyancy, while increasing circulation and enhancing muscle activation—making it ideal for arthritic knees, hips, or lower back. Wikipedia

What kind of exercises should you do?

I’m a huge proponent of daily stretching (I never miss a day!) and incorporating mobility and stability into my weekly schedule when I can. Sometimes this looks like a hurried 5-minute stability routine that I sneak in on a rest day. Or I’ll do mobility work as part of my wind-down routine a few nights / week, particularly if / when my hips or knees feel inflamed.

Your Simple Daily Guide

• Start gentle: Try 5–10 minutes of range-of-motion moves—like knee circles, trunk and hip rotations, or very slow and deliberate cat and cow moves for your spine—at the start of your day or before bed. Mayo Clinic
• Add mobility to workouts: Include hip openers, spine twists, and ankle rotations before workouts, especially before weightlifting (like back squats and deadlifts), to ensure your joints are warmed up, you’re executing with proper form and there’s fluid joint movement through the lift.
• Go water-based when needed: If you're facing pain flare-ups, try aquatic walking or gentle water-based exercises. I personally haven’t needed this yet, but if your flare-ups are sidelining you, this could be a great way to bring back movement and work on your mobility to extend your range of motion without pain.
• Consistency wins: Even short daily sessions prevent pain from spiraling. I sneak mobility work in opportunistically - I schedule a session at least 1x/ week, and at night before bedtime, it’s is a fantastic way to ease into a relaxed state of sleep.

I’m also a huge fan of Kinstretch With Beard’s mobility program. I discovered him about 3 years ago on Instagram when he had 300K followers, and since then he’s blown up to over 1.6M on Instagram and 400K on TikTok, for good reason.

His mobility program is incredibly comprehensive, joint-specific, and guides you through exercises to strengthen and expand your joint range of motion in every joint,starting with your neck down to your big toe. I try to do a minimum 1 course / week and often squeeze in 2-3 sessions, as I need them.  His program is expensive ($60 / month, or $580 / annual) but based on my experience, 1 session of his is quite literally better than 10 physical therapy sessions. Girl math = it’s worth it.

Final Thought

I have had to fight my own limiting beliefs around mobility work. Is it really worth it?, I’d ask. I would want to avoid mobility work in favor of more “payoff” work like strength and conditioning sessions at the gym 5 days / week. But here’s what I’ve learned in my aged wisdom: if you have joint pain, you’re going to compensate for that pain and lift incorrectly. And most likely, you’ll injure yourself.  That’s particularly nasty when you’re dealing with heavy weights, which are the recommended protocol to prevent osteoporosis and osteopenia for women in midlife. And that will compromise alllllll of your strength and conditioning efforts.

So, a reframe: mobility work isn’t extra—it’s essential. It’s the foundation on which joint strength, stability, and resilience are built. Fluid mobility movement prevents pain, preserves function, and slows arthritis progression. So whether it’s gentle spinal rotations, knee mobility drills, or deliberate cat & cows to keep back pain at bay—keep your joints moving.

They’ll thank you for years to come.

Let's do this, lovelies! Let's age well naturally-

x
Juliana

PS - Questions? Comments? Drop me a note in the comments below! 👇
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