Question: Hi. When you grow older, do your joints become weaker and therefore have a higher chance of breaking? If so, why?

Jasmine Penny answered on 18 Jun 2013:

Great question! Every movement we make will involve at least one of our joints. If you think of how much you move during one day and then times that by your lifetime, you can see that your joints put in a lot of hard work! During movement, cartilage is the tissue that helps your joints move smoothly and over time, this can get worn down. This is when joint diseases can become a problem.

In terms of breaking, this is more to do with your bones! Our bones are alive and active. Your body is working all the time. There is a constant cycle of activity in your bones, with old bone being broken down and new bone being made. When you get older, bones can start to break down more old bone and produce less new bone. This weakens your bones and makes them more likely to break.