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BootinUp

(51,218 posts)
Sun Mar 15, 2026, 07:22 AM 10 hrs ago

What If Your Joints Aren't Wearing Out?

Longish article at the link

https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/what-if-your-joints-arent-wearing


here are a few paragraphs
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If osteoarthritis were really caused by mechanical wear, then the joints under the most physical stress would always be the ones that break down first. And people who use their joints less would be protected. Neither of those things is consistently true. Something else is going on, and understanding what that something is changes everything about how you prevent it, slow it, and in many cases improve it.

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Your cartilage faces a similar challenge. Unlike most tissues in your body, cartilage has no blood supply. There are no tiny arteries feeding it oxygen and glucose. Instead, cartilage is nourished mainly by synovial fluid, the slippery liquid that fills the joint capsule. Joint motion and loading influence how well that fluid circulates, how the cartilage cells themselves respond to mechanical signals, and how well the surrounding muscles support and protect the joint. When you walk, bend your knee, or push off with your foot, you’re keeping that entire system active. When you stop, the system slows down.

Movement is the current. Your cartilage depends on it.

This is why the “wear and tear” story gets it backwards. A certain amount of regular loading doesn’t destroy cartilage. It feeds it. And when you stop moving, when you rest a joint because it hurts, when you sit for ten hours a day because that feels safer, you’re doing the biological equivalent of putting coral in still water.

Researchers demonstrated this in a striking way. When they removed all mechanical stress from mouse joints, inflammation in the joint lining appeared within three days. Scar-like tissue buildup and cartilage breakdown followed. But when they restored both motion and weight-bearing load, the cartilage changes improved. Motion alone wasn’t enough. The joints needed actual loading to recover. Animal models like this one don’t prove that sitting too much causes OA in humans, but they show how strongly joints respond to reduced mechanical input.

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https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/what-if-your-joints-arent-wearing

8 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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bucolic_frolic

(54,884 posts)
1. I ran across a reputable YouTube doctor addressing the issue of cartilage
Sun Mar 15, 2026, 08:36 AM
9 hrs ago

His advice was to eat the entire fish, bones, head, skin, scales, and all. Skin in particular has collagen, he said.

BootinUp

(51,218 posts)
2. When it comes to diet, the most important part is the basics.
Sun Mar 15, 2026, 10:25 AM
7 hrs ago

People always want magic bullets but I do not think there are any good ones. There was some dietary advice in the article from the OP, did you check it out?

bucolic_frolic

(54,884 posts)
3. Like most doctors she points to inflammation
Sun Mar 15, 2026, 11:00 AM
7 hrs ago

as a root cause of illness, which is to say metabolic disease, pre-diabetes or actual diabetes. We're being carbed to death.

BootinUp

(51,218 posts)
4. I have been reading that one of the major causes of inflammation is
Sun Mar 15, 2026, 11:14 AM
6 hrs ago

gut issues. Lack of fiber. Or irritation from other things like pain killers, or not chewing your food well. What I understand is that the immune system around the intenstinal area is not functioning well because of gut issues.

bucolic_frolic

(54,884 posts)
5. All true but the subject is deeper in today's medicine
Sun Mar 15, 2026, 11:39 AM
6 hrs ago

I follow 5 YouTubers on inflammation and diet. It's not all about Keto, or even carbs. Vagus nerve (Dr. Jamnadas), diet (Dr. Berg), immune support (channel called Remission Support I think). Vagus nerve runs from groin to brain. The toxins go to our heads, direct drive! I'm working on it. Cold sauerkraut this week (never canned or heated, kills the good bacteria).

I have no confidence I could assemble this mass of info by going to a local doctor, who chats me for 10 minutes. I'm on my own, which is sad but empowering.

BootinUp

(51,218 posts)
6. I just added sauerkraut a few weeks ago.
Sun Mar 15, 2026, 11:47 AM
6 hrs ago

And yes, I have also read about the vagus nerve. What I understand on that subject, is that Heart Rate Variability is a good measure of how well that is all working. One post I saw about about HRV is here https://substack.com/home/post/p-183131389

bucolic_frolic

(54,884 posts)
7. Now I have more learning to do!
Sun Mar 15, 2026, 12:14 PM
5 hrs ago

I read the HRV article. It's on my radar to understand more deeply. Problem is if I feel ok, it doesn't get priority. Measure variability with smart phone. I'm have statistics. Thanks!

BootinUp

(51,218 posts)
8. I have not accurately measured it, I just try to notice if my heart rate is self regulating
Sun Mar 15, 2026, 12:35 PM
5 hrs ago

ok for instance, if I am taking deap breaths to relax is my heart rate dropping as it should. How you feel is a fine way to react. Good HRV means it varies. It means your body can heal itself. Take care!

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