Exercise remains an extremely popular leisure-time activity
in many countries throughout the Western world and has
for many become part of the modern lifestyle. It is widely
promoted in the lay press as having salutory benefits for
weight control, disease management advantages for
cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and for improving
psychological well being amongst an array of other benefits.
In contrast, however, the lay press and community
perception is also that exercise is potentially deleterious to
one’s joints, in particular those of the lower extremities. A
previous review in this journal has focused on the effects
of exercise on healthy articular cartilage, specifically its
functional adaptation to loading, both short and long
term (Eckstein et al. 2006). The purpose of the current
review is to consider the potential effect of exercise on the
onset and progression of joint disease, specifically to