The role of muscles in joint loading and osteoarthritis

For most synovial joints, muscles provide the primary loading. Strong muscles that are working in balanced synergies are associated with joint health, while muscle weakness and muscle imbalance have been associated with joint degeneration often leading to osteoarthritis (OA). Furthermore, early OA has been thought to cause muscle weakness, while exercising has been suggested to reduce OA progression, even though it causes increased joint loading compared to sedentary behaviour. Here, we will try to untangle some of the myths surrounding muscle health, muscle-related joint loading, and joint degeneration leading to OA using pre-clinical (animal-based) research approaches.