Knee pain after 50: when to rest and when to move

Knee osteoarthritis is common after 50, and the instinct is to stop moving. Prolonged rest weakens the quadriceps, which increases the load the joint has to absorb — pain then gets worse, not better.

Rest is appropriate for a genuine flare: hot, swollen, sharply painful joint. Use ice, elevation and gentle range-of-motion for 48 hours, then start loading again.

For everyday stiffness, strength work is the treatment. Straight-leg raises, sit-to-stand practice, step-ups and stationary cycling build support around the joint without grinding it.

Watch the pace. A useful rule is the 24-hour test: if pain settles back to baseline within a day of exercise, the load was right.

See a physiotherapist if the knee locks, gives way, or the pain has not improved over six weeks of self-management.