Key Takeaways
- Get calcium from a varied diet and consider a daily vitamin D supplement in autumn and winter.
- Regular strength and weight-bearing exercise helps protect bones and joints, and staying active helps most back pain recover.
- Back pain with numbness around the genitals or bottom, weakness in both legs, or bladder or bowel changes needs 999 or A&E straight away.
- Use this Voddler.co.uk guide alongside advice from your GP, pharmacist or physiotherapist.
The Voddler.co.uk bone and joint health guide shares simple, everyday ways to protect your back, hips and knees at any age. Aches and stiffness are common, but small daily habits can help prevent or ease many problems.
Like every guide on Voddler.co.uk, it is written by our editorial team using NHS and NICE guidance and peer-reviewed sources.
Calcium and Vitamin D: Feeding Your Bones
Calcium helps build strong bones, and vitamin D helps your body absorb it. Most adults can get enough calcium from a varied diet. Good sources include milk, cheese and yoghurt, soya drinks with added calcium, curly kale, bread made with fortified flour, and sardines eaten with their bones.
From about late March or early April to the end of September, most people make enough vitamin D from sunlight. In autumn and winter, the NHS vitamin D advice is that everyone should consider a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms. The NHS advises taking it all year if you are rarely outdoors, live in a care home or usually cover most of your skin outdoors, and considering it all year if you have dark skin. Too much can be harmful, so ask a pharmacist if you are unsure.
Strength and Weight-Bearing Exercise
Weight-bearing exercise, where your feet and legs carry your weight, and resistance exercise, such as lifting weights, both help keep bones strong. Stronger muscles also support your joints.
The NHS physical activity guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week, plus strengthening activities for all the major muscle groups on at least 2 days a week. Try brisk walking, dancing, climbing stairs, resistance bands, heavy gardening, or tai chi and yoga for balance.
Healthy Weight and Sore Joints
If you are overweight, losing some weight eases the load on your hips, knees and back. Supportive shoes help too, as our foot health guide explains. If your joints already hurt, start with gentle, low-impact activities and build up slowly. Read more about how knee arthritis and physical activity are linked.
Protecting Your Back: Desk Set-Up and Back Pain Self-Care
A Back-Friendly Desk
There is no single perfect posture, so change position often. Keep your feet flat on the floor, support your lower back, set the screen about an arm’s length away with the top at eye level, and take regular breaks.
If Your Back Hurts
Back pain usually improves within a few weeks, but it can last longer or come back. The NHS back pain advice is to stay active, avoid long bed rest, try heat or ice packs and gentle stretches, and ask a pharmacist which painkiller suits you. Ibuprofen does not suit everyone, and paracetamol on its own is not recommended for back pain.
Learn the signs that back pain may be getting worse, and see our guide to managing long-term pain if it lasts for months.
Emergency: back pain with numbness around your genitals or bottom, weakness in both legs, or bladder or bowel changes needs 999 or A&E.
Osteoarthritis and Osteoporosis Explained
Osteoarthritis of the Hips and Knees
Osteoarthritis causes joint pain and stiffness, most often in the knees, hips and small joints of the hands. It is more likely with age, in women, after a joint injury, with excess weight or if it runs in the family. It cannot be cured and does not always get worse. Exercise, weight loss if needed, suitable footwear, painkillers and physiotherapy can ease symptoms, and joint replacement may help if other treatments have not.
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis weakens bones so they break more easily, often after a minor fall, and is not usually painful until a bone breaks. Risk rises after the menopause and with long-term high-dose steroid tablets, low body weight, an eating disorder, smoking, heavy drinking or a parent who broke a hip. Your GP can assess your risk, may arrange a bone density scan and can discuss medicines to strengthen bones.
Sports Injuries and Getting Expert Help
The First Few Days
For a sprain or strain, the NHS recommends PRICE: protect the injury, rest it, apply ice wrapped in a tea towel, wrap a bandage around it and keep it raised. Avoid heat, alcohol and massage for the first couple of days, then gently start moving it again. Find out which sports injuries orthopaedic clinics commonly treat.
Physiotherapy, Your GP and Orthopaedic Referral
In many areas you can refer yourself to NHS physiotherapy without seeing a GP first. If a problem is not improving, your GP can arrange tests or refer you to an orthopaedic specialist.
Voddler.co.uk Bone and Joint Health Guide: Common Problems at a Glance
Use this table as a quick summary, not a diagnosis.
| Problem | Common signs | First steps | Get advice if |
|---|---|---|---|
| Back pain | Ache or stiffness, often with no clear cause | Keep moving, heat or ice | No better after a few weeks |
| Hip or knee osteoarthritis | Pain, stiffness, grating | Exercise, healthy weight | Symptoms persist or limit daily life |
| Osteoporosis | Often none until a bone breaks | Calcium, vitamin D, strength exercise | You have risk factors or break a bone easily |
| Sprain or strain | Pain, swelling, bruising | PRICE, then gentle movement | Pain is severe or not improving |
For more reading, browse our orthopaedic health articles.
When to See a GP or Get Urgent Help
See a GP if:
- pain is not improving after a few weeks or is stopping your daily activities
- you have lost weight without trying, or notice a lump, swelling or change in the shape of your back
- back pain does not ease with rest, or is worse at night or when you cough, sneeze or poo
- you have broken a bone after a minor fall
Ask for an urgent GP appointment or call NHS 111 if:
- you have back or joint pain and feel hot, cold, shivery or generally unwell
- a joint is suddenly very painful, hot and swollen
- back pain is severe and sudden, or getting worse quickly
- after an injury, you cannot put any weight on it or walk more than a few steps
Call 999 or go to A&E if you have back pain and:
- pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs
- loss of feeling around your genitals or bottom
- difficulty peeing, or peeing or pooing yourself
- changes in how your genitals feel during sex, or problems getting an erection or orgasm
- chest pain, or pain that started after a serious accident
The first four can be signs of cauda equina syndrome, a medical emergency where nerves at the base of the spine are squashed. After an injury, also call 999 or go to A&E if you heard a crack, or the injured part is misshapen, numb, tingling, blue or grey, or cold to touch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I rest or keep moving when my back hurts?
Keep moving as much as you can. Staying active usually helps back pain recover, while long bed rest is not recommended. See a GP or physiotherapist if it is not improving after a few weeks, and get emergency help for any red flags.
Can exercise make hip or knee osteoarthritis worse?
For most people, the right exercise eases osteoarthritis rather than harming the joint. Start gently with lower-impact activities such as swimming or cycling. If pain is sharp or swelling increases, ease off and ask a physiotherapist or GP.
Can I see an NHS physiotherapist without a GP referral?
In many areas, yes. You may be able to refer yourself to NHS physiotherapy or a community musculoskeletal (MSK) service, so check with your GP surgery. A private physiotherapist should be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council.
Is the advice in this Voddler.co.uk guide suitable for everyone?
It is general information based on NHS and NICE guidance, not personal advice. If you have a long-term condition, are pregnant or take regular medicines, check with your GP, pharmacist or physiotherapist before starting new exercise or supplements.
Final Thoughts
Everyday habits help keep bones and joints healthy: a varied diet, vitamin D in autumn and winter, regular exercise and a healthy weight. Most back pain and many joint problems improve with self-care, but never ignore the red flags above.
For more practical advice based on NHS guidance, explore the Voddler.co.uk health guides.
This guide is for information only and is not a substitute for advice, diagnosis or treatment from a qualified health professional.
