Will my knee joint wear out if I exercise due to aging?

Question

Hello doctor,

My question is regarding exercise. I am a 45-year-old healthy male who is 60 kg in weight. I was climbing up and down 18 stairs for exercise, but the family physician cautioned me that this exercise would gradually wear out the knee joint as I age.

Now I am doing stationary exercise, standing in one place, I lift 2 kg dumbbells (a total of 4 kg). I lift the dumbbells above my head and then bring them down to touch my feet, so I nearly bend 160 to 170 degrees at the hip while trying to touch my feet, holding the dumbbells. I sweat profusely with this exercise. I do it for 30 minutes regularly and use a timer for precision. Do you feel it is a good exercise in the long run? Will this exercise strengthen my vertebral column, or will there be any other problems in the long run?

I have minor back discomfort in the lumbar area after doing dumbbells exercise for nearly a month. Will the pain subside as I continue to do the exercise? I love to do this exercise.

Do you feel climbing 18 steps up and down for 30 minutes per day would be okay in the long run? I do not have to go out of the house to do this exercise, and I have found it helps me cool down my thinking process and sleep better. Please give your opinion on the long-term effects of this exercise.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

What is your job?

Thank you.

Answer 2

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

As far as your back is concerned, there are three things you need to take care of.

1. Since you have a sedentary job, proper posture is a must with aging. If you work on a laptop, then keep the screen at eye level. Use a suitable chair and table. Take frequent breaks after every 40 minutes, and do not slouch. Avoid watching television or using mobile devices for long periods in the wrong position.

2. General conditioning exercises are best for the back; this means walking, running, jogging, swimming, and dancing. So the minimum I tell all my patients are walking for 45 minutes at a stretch daily.

3. Back strengthening exercises, learn them from the internet, and do them for ten minutes daily.

Apart from these, whatever exercises you are doing, continue with that. There is no harm in doing any activity. But remember, for back general conditioning exercises are the most useful.

I hope this helps.

Kindly follow up if you have more concerns.

Thank you.