Elite athletes may be doing their joints a disservice with their intense bouts of practice and competition, according to a report conducted by Swedish scientists at Lund University.

In their research they found that athletes in hard-hitting sports such as football and soccer tended to have an increased risk of osteoarthritis when compared to those that exercised moderately. Knee and hip arthritis were particularly likely to occur in athletes, the study found.

However, the researchers emphasized that any exercise is better than no exercise at all when it comes to combating arthritis risk.

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