How to strengthen my joints?

I would discuss it with your doctor. Following random advice on the web could lead you down the wrong road.
I'm not aware of any foods or supplements proven to strengthen joints. If you are overweight, losing the weight will probably help.

I agree with aggelikik, joint pain and difficulties in ones 20's are not to be expected please seek proper advice.

That said, one thing which medics never tend to think of is salicylate sensitivity. I'm wondering if you have problems with aspirin and that sort of thing? Asthmatics are advised not to use aspirin. I'm much, much older than you and I used to take pain relief to relieve my pains and ate normally. I did not think I had the usual symptoms indicating problems with pain relief but having been advised to take pain relief before exercise, and being not then anyway, the most consistent person I used to forget, then I realised I did better without it.

Eventually I discovered salicylate is one method plants use to protect themselves from moulds and mildews and some of us are more reactive to this toxin than the majority. Salicylate can build up in the body depending on what has been eaten causing pain and other problems. Fruits, veg, herbs and spices can be high in the stuff particularly ones which are prone to mildew when growing. I think it was a Melbourne Teaching Hospital who did early research, Ann Swane et.al. Subsequently someone by the name of Finegold linked it to fibromyalgia. Others have connected it to more issues.

Salicylatesensitivity.com could be a good place to start your research, it gives information on health problems and symptoms as well as low ss foods etc. I hope this is not you or anyone else because it can be a real problem.

Edited to add, there is no test available at present (2016) to say this is or is not one's problem, its only by looking at the list of foods you usually consume that you can see salicylate could be the basis of your problem. Because salicylate is in so many foods a normal elimination restriction will not always reveal this because the effects are cumulative, one thing may put you over your comfortable level but it could have been something with a much higher ss level which set you up in the first place. Having less in your diet could be your answer.

you could start a program like c25k which slowly eases you into running and allows time for your knees to strenghen and toughen up and see how it goes. Don't do anything that causes knee pain and if you have knee pain, you should see a dr. I dont know your weight, but being overweight is very hard on joints, for long term joint health eat good food and stay a healthy weight.

I use Great Lakes collagen for joint pain; not immediate affect, takes a few weeks.

lorrpb wrote: »

Overall strengthening of the muscles will help the joints feel better & work better. Functional training programs build strength, endurance, flexibility, and balance. It sound like this would help you. I have no joint pain any longer after two years of functional training with a consistent emphasis on strength, but not the super heavy lifting discussed so often by MFP posters. In fact, most of my pain disappeared within a few months and I was a sorry case to start with.

You don't want to focus on just one or two isolated muscle groups (such as knees) because overall strength, a balance of strength in all areas, and core strength are key to improving joint issues. Your whole body must work together properly to support itself and move properly.

My knees are much better since 1) I lost weight and 2) I started an exercise program that strengthened the overall body including the leg muscles, without putting much strain on the knees. For me, this exercise program was first a water aerobics class and later swimming laps. I have been able to add in walking and have been able to walk up to 24 miles in a day (I do this once a year with a group) with a daily average of 7-8 miles with minimal knee issues.

Is there a reason why you have weak joints? I'm hypermobile, a connective tissue disorder that means my joints are "weak", unstable and very prone to injury/dislocation. The condition itself wasn't really known/diagnosed when I was growing up which meant I lived with a lot of injuries including some seriously impressive sprains where the A&E staff couldn't quite believe I hadn't broken my ankle. Over the years I was told that I was "double jointed" and had unstable joints, it wasn't until 6 months ago during pregnancy that I was diagnosed as hypermobile and by then the damage had been done.

I see a PT (physio) and that should be the first port of call, they know far more about protecting and strengthening joints than most doctors. Of course every one is different but among the strategies that work/have worked there are exercises, pain relief and splinting. If I had been diagnosed at your age then much of the permanent damage may have been avoided.

Anyhow, I've found strength training has helped a huge amount with reducing injuries, the stronger muscles are able to compensate a little for the weak joints. Losing weight has obviously helped and knowing my limits is very important. Dynamic stretching is a no no, in fact most stretching is a no no, my range of movement is that much bigger than the non-hypermobile person meaning I could easily dislocate a shoulder just by stretching.