Why Do We Ache More As We Age?

It’s not just “wear and tear.”

Low-grade inflammation plays a major role in those stiff joints, sore muscles, and slow recovery.

It’s common to associate getting older with stiffness, soreness, and “creaky” joints. But these sensations aren’t just a result of wear and tear. Increasingly, researchers understand that low-grade inflammation plays a key role in why we feel more achy, tense, or sore as we age—even without an injury.

Here’s what’s happening beneath the surface:

🔹 Cartilage Wears Down Faster

As we age, the cartilage that cushions our joints becomes thinner and less elastic. This makes movements feel less smooth and increases friction in the joints. Chronic low-level inflammation can accelerate this process, leading to stiffness and discomfort—particularly in the knees, hips, and spine.

🔹 Muscles and Fascia Lose Tone

Ageing muscles naturally lose some strength and volume, but inflammation slows recovery and contributes to that heavy, tired feeling in the limbs. Even light exercise or everyday tasks may leave you feeling unusually sore. The connective tissue (or fascia) that wraps around muscles can also tighten and become less pliable, adding to that sense of stiffness.

🔹 Nerves Become More Sensitive

Low-grade inflammation doesn’t just affect joints and muscles—it can also “turn up the volume” on your nervous system. Inflammation can sensitise pain pathways, making minor sensations feel more intense. A small ache that you would have ignored years ago might now feel like a nagging discomfort that’s hard to shake.

🔹 Weather Really Does Affect Pain

You’re not imagining it—cold, damp, or changing weather can make inflammation feel worse. Lower barometric pressure and cool temperatures can cause tissues to swell slightly, leading to increased pressure in joints and a flare-up of symptoms, especially if inflammation is already present.

🌿 A Chinese Medicine Perspective

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), this achy, stiff, and reactive state is often described as “wind-damp” invading the joints, especially when the body's natural defences are weakened. Ageing is seen as a time when yang energy declines and circulation slows, allowing cold, damp, or wind-like influences to settle in the body—particularly the joints and lower back.

Rather than masking the pain, Chinese medicine works to:

• Improve circulation and fluid movement

• Clear inflammation from tissues

• Strengthen the body’s natural resistance to environmental stressors

• Support the organs (like the Kidney and Liver) that govern joint and tissue health

✨ In Short

Aches and pains aren't just something to “put up with.” They’re often a signal that your body’s internal systems—especially inflammatory and recovery pathways—need support. With the right care, many people experience relief, better mobility, and improved energy well into older age.