Strengthen Joints?

[TopCrusader]

Somebody came up to me and asked me the question (was interested in weight training, not martial arts) "How do I strengthen my joints" (he was specifically referring to his elbow joint.) I'm in college to get a BS in Exercise Science (for the dudes that wanna be physical therapists, personal trainers, or like me, maybe a Chiropractor)
Anyways, after very little thought I said "well you could just build the muscle that attaches/moves that joint....that would help strengthen it"
So now I pose this question to everyone here. Was I right in my answer? CAN you really strengthen a joint? (tendons, ligaments, cartilage, etc) Does anybody have any methods for strengthening the joint? I know Glucosamine/Chondroitin is big now for "joint health" but still am curious what else is out there, Western or Eastern in approach.
I am also asking this for myself, becuase sometimes I'll be walking/running up or down stairs and I'll think to myself, "man my knee feels kinda unstable"
Has anyone else experienced this? All information related to joint health welcome

Thanks everyone!
Ryan

[jwinch2]

Ligaments and tendons while generally considered passive tissue are capable of adaptation in similar fashion to that of bone or muscle. Keijo Hakkenon and Kyroeinen and a few others have put out some fairly good research on this in recent years. So the answer is yes they can get stronger. Tell your friend to just train starting off relatively low in intensity and moving up from there. As for a specific dose-response for optimal passive tissue adaptation, no one really knows that right now. I would look to Matt Rhea's meta-analysis from 2004 and use those guidelines. That should start him off right!

As for your knee, once tendons or ligaments are streched beyond a certain point they become too compliant and cannot readily return to their normal resting length. This commonly leads to joint laxity and can cause further problems later on. I would highly recommend strengthening the muscles around the knee and if you are still noticing the problem to see your doc.

Later,

Jason

[gallygirl]

Can you please give some examples of what you can do to work the muscles and ligaments that are directly related to the knee in order to strengthen it? My knees give me alot of grief from when I was pregnant and carrying extra weight, and I am hoping to at least stop the process from worsening and maybe get rid of the pain altogether. Thanks :)

[Jessica]

I have joint issues (both knee and elbow) and for the knees my Doctor reccomended doing wall sits http://exercise.about.com/od/exerciseworkouts/ss/howtosquat_8.htm (I'd reccomend a firm wall) and for elbow pain/tennis elbow doing curls (palm up) and reverse curls (palm down)with 5lb weights


Mas Jessica Brawner

[jwinch2]

Can you please give some examples of what you can do to work the muscles and ligaments that are directly related to the knee in order to strengthen it? My knees give me alot of grief from when I was pregnant and carrying extra weight, and I am hoping to at least stop the process from worsening and maybe get rid of the pain altogether. Thanks :)

There really isn't much in the way of lower body exercise you can do that will not involve the knee. isometric wall sits as discussed above typically have not been shown in the literature to provide much in the way of relief in your situation. Squats, lunges, step-ups, leg extensions and curls would all be great ways for you to develop and strengthen the muscles that surround the knee joint in a manner that will not only contribute to reduction of pain but also improving your performance of daily activities.

Good luck..