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Have you noticed your body feels less pliable than it used to?
Maybe you cannot sit for as long, walk as far, or exercise the way you once did. Movements that used to feel effortless now feel restricted or uncomfortable.
For many people, this is quickly labelled as “wear and tear”.
It is a phrase that gets used often, especially when discussing osteoarthritis and joint stiffness. It can sound reassuring on the surface, but it often leaves people feeling like their body is simply wearing out and that nothing can be done.
“We can’t do anything about it.”
“You won’t get any better.”
“It is just the way it is now.”
These are messages many people hear after being told their symptoms are due to wear and tear. Over time, hearing this from multiple health professionals can make it feel like a fixed truth.
It becomes an easy explanation for why discomfort keeps returning or why certain areas of the body feel persistently stiff.
But there is a problem with this narrative. It suggests that the body is like a machine that inevitably breaks down with use. That once something starts to change, it will only continue in one direction.
The reality is far more adaptable than that.
It is tempting to compare the body to something mechanical, like a car tyre that gradually wears thin over time.
But the body does not behave like an inanimate object.
Your joints, muscles, and connective tissues are made of living cells. These cells are constantly responding to how you move, how you load your body, and how well different parts of your body work together.
This means your body has the ability to adapt.
Rather than simply wearing out, it responds to its environment. Movement, strength, coordination, and joint mobility all influence how your body feels and functions.
Many people are told they have arthritis after an X-ray or MRI. While imaging can show changes in joint structure, it does not always explain symptoms.
There is often a poor relationship between what appears on a scan and what someone actually feels.
For example:
This raises an important question. If wear and tear was the full story, why do these differences exist?
Why does one person with visible joint changes feel fine, while another with minimal findings feels restricted?
The answer lies in how the body is functioning, not just how it looks on a scan.
Osteoarthritis is not simply about cartilage wearing away. It involves changes in how the entire joint and surrounding structures behave.
Factors that influence symptoms include:
When these systems are not working well together, the joint may experience more compression and less efficient movement. This is often when stiffness and discomfort begin to show up.
One of the most important things to understand is that osteoarthritis symptoms can change.
Because the body is adaptable, improving how it moves and functions can lead to real improvements in how it feels.
When muscles are working well, they help support the joint and reduce unnecessary pressure.
When joints are moving more freely, there is less compression in sensitive areas.
When coordination improves, movement becomes more efficient and less effortful.
This is why many people experience a shift from feeling stiff and restricted to feeling lighter and more capable.
Being told your body is worn out can change how you think about movement.
People often become cautious, reduce activity, and avoid using certain parts of their body. While this may feel protective, it can lead to further stiffness and reduced capacity over time.
A more helpful approach is to understand that your body can adapt and improve.
With the right guidance, movement can become something that supports your joints rather than aggravates them.
With the elbow for example it should be able straighten out and then bend all the way back in. Most of our joints should have three planes of motion…
They work together to get the big motions like moving our arm forward and back. If we have too much of one plane and not enough of the others, then the joints wont function as well as they should. If our three planes do not work together over a long period of time, we might start to see something that sounds or feels like osteoarthritis or wear and tear.
If our joints are moving they way they are designed to, using all 3 planes of motion, the muscles around them also have the opportunity to contract and relax when they need to because the joint motion is telling them when to do it. If the joint is dysfunctional the muscle might be overused or underused and this can possibly result in muscle tightness, tendonitis, ongoing trigger points or strains.
If we can re-train each plane of motion to be available and working efficiently then our long-term cranky joints have more options with movement and the joint will function better. The best thing is when we move more, our joints self-lubricate so we can continue to do this.
Joints have great potential, they are not a lost cause.
With the right skillset and experience, osteopathic care focuses on improving how your body moves as a whole.
This may include:
The aim is to reduce unnecessary pressure on the joints and help your body move with greater ease.
If you have been told your pain is just wear and tear, it may be time to look at it differently.
Your body is not simply wearing out. It is adapting.
Book an appointment at Boroondara Osteopathy and start improving how your joints move, feel, and function.
Fill in the contact form below and we will reply ASAP.
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