this post was submitted on 18 May 2025
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OK I chuckled but real talk: knee trouble in your 30s isn’t normal and shouldn’t be treated as normal
37, Mechanic, lot of squatting and bending. No knee issues.
Moral: Use it, or lose it
Yeah, if your knees are fucked up at 30, you're probably an athlete and injured your knees multiple times, or obese and overloaded them with too much weight.
Also it’s hard to really fuck up your knees irrecoverably. They can bounce back from a lot.
Consistent use makes them stronger
There is an upper limit to the kind of weight they can sustain but (theoretically and with enough training to work up to it) that limit is pretty high.Even knees that have been abused long-term can often recover. I hope more people learn this and reclaim the mobility they’ve lost.
ETA: TLDR
I wonder if squatting while lifting weights (gym) is also a speedrun to bad knees, or whether that actually does improvements
Squats should strengthen your knees. Proper form will prevent excessive sheering force and risk of injury should be low with gradual weight increase.
But here’s a common beginner injury and how to avoid it
A common injury (usually just a discomfort, rarely injury) new lifters sometimes experience is patellar instability. It happens when there’s an imbalance in the strength of the muscles holding the patella in position — the patella is the bone covering the front of the joint. Usually the instability resolves within a few sessions as the muscles strengthen, but to prevent discomfort or injury you can wear a knee strap or brace. (The strap is just a velcro band with a plastic/rubber tube on the front. The brace is a full-coverage support that isolates the movement.)Knees don’t get used up. In fact, using them allows more use.
Absent severe injuries or joint-related diseases, a “bad knee” is only ever a temporary condition. There’s a common myth that knees can be used up, which is the opposite of how the knees (and most of your joints) work.Continuous use actually makes knees stronger, better lubricated, more resistant to injury, etc. It even speeds up recovery from injuries and prevents formation of scar tissue. This is why physical therapists use the active recovery techniques that patients love so much ;)
ETA: TLDR
It 100% improves your knees. Even half squats or bad form will still strengthen your knees, it will just fuck up your back if you do it wrong.
OP probably played football in high school or something.
Perhaps, but all that’s mentioned is age.
I’ve heard knees-crap-out-after-30-amirite jokes since my early 20s. It’s a form of denial coalition-building favored by folks obviously avoiding important lifestyle changes, and it’s rarely harmless to affirm that kind of denial.
In addition, unexplained joint pain is a symptom of a number of chronic illnesses that have better outcomes with early diagnosis and treatment, such as rheumatoid arthritis. If someone thinks it’s normal, they might not even ask about it until the pain and damage is life-altering.
That’s why I say it shouldn’t be treated as normal.
Could be seriously overweight. I know two 30-yo people who joke about old age hitting them hard but almost all of their issues is due to lifelong serious obesity. Not that they're willing to accept that
One of my neighbors is an entire family of obesity. Mom and dad are both obese. The two high school boys are obese. A younger daughter that looks around 10 is obese. Only a 4ish year old boy is not obese, but he won't be for long.
That is a rough situation, as from experience I can say trying to maintain a healthy weight will cause the obese folks in the family of accusing you of being anorexic and take any opportunity to try to get you to fatten up.
They also marvel about how I must have good genetics because my back and legs don't hurt and my blood tests come back so good at physicals.
Isn't normal? Maybe if you never injured them doing things. Knee problems are extremely common, human knees are poorly evolved and prone to injury just by being used.
Backpacking, skiing, horse riding wrecked mine long ago. Now I just try to keep the surrounding muscles fit to hold all the loose shit together.
If your knees are screwed up from "just turning 30", then that indicates an expectation that you don't need injuries to have bad knees.
Repetitive impact injury can screw things up, but the vast majority of people bemoaning their old age joints especially in their 30s are not exercising enough and/or are obese.
Whatever the case, bring it up to your doctor, didn't assume changes like this are just normal/expected.
Thanks for confirming that it isn't normal. Most people who are 30 have not injured their knees to the point of issues.
The knees are remarkably hard-wearing joints, capable of a lifetime of sustained use. It’s a common myth that they have some finite mileage that can be used up.
How to restore “bad knees”
Most “bad knees” just need some TLC. Overtraining can put them out of order temporarily, and yes some severe injuries can prevent full recovery, but knees can bounce back from almost anything with rest and continued use, even in old age.You’re right that knee problems are common today, moreso than ever before. But the increased prevalence tracks closely with the rise of sedentary lifestyles (i.e., infrequent use) and excess weight (i.e., transient overload).
The good news is that knees can recover from this too! The tried and true strategy is just regular use that starts small and gradually increases over time.
For example, regular low-intensity walking and cycling (especially alternating both) has been shown to quickly increase knee strength and reduce knee pain significantly.
As to how quickly you can progress, your knees will tell you. Discomfort is usually OK, but pain means you’re pushing too hard. Sharp pain means stop immediately, rest, and take it easier next time.
Most people notice immediate improvement. I hope you can enjoy more backpacking, skiing, and horseback riding in the future :)
Hmu if you want a training buddy. ETA: TLDR