Fitness & Exercise

Function & mobility

A row of pink dumbbells, a water bottle, a hand grip strengthener and a pair of shoes on a grey surface.

Weak grip and low activity linked to cognitive impairment, 22% to 41% higher risk in US, China and Korea

Oct 21, 2026

A trainer steadies a woman as she balances on one leg with a knee raised in a bright studio.

Exercise prompt in health records linked to 9% fewer falls in a trial of 11,945 older primary care patients

Oct 21, 2026

A person in a yellow top walks past concrete park steps with a rolled exercise mat on one shoulder and a water bottle.

Exercise in bouts of 10 minutes or more tracked with better endurance at the same weekly total

Oct 16, 2026

A hand in a blue glove holds a thin tool over a petri dish on a white bench beside a black microscope.

Cartilage regrowth explained: what a mouse study found, and why it is not yet a treatment for arthritis

Oct 9, 2026

Two surgeons in blue gowns, masks and caps operate on a patient under green drapes beneath large round theatre lights.

Robotic knee replacement was no better for patients at one year than conventional surgery in a blinded trial

Oct 9, 2026

The legs of a runner on a park path, seen from behind, with the sole of one shoe lifted.

Heel strike or forefoot: running footstrike made no difference to injury risk in 738 runners

Oct 2, 2026

A man stretching his leg on a railing outdoors, holding his ankle.

Does stretching prevent injuries or muscle soreness? What the evidence shows

Sep 29, 2026

Two older hikers with backpacks and walking poles standing outdoors on a misty day.

Simple fitness tests like standing on one leg predicted survival in 13,423 older adults

Sep 26, 2026

A person in a silver spacesuit walking past red rock in a barren desert

The hearts of 13 astronauts adjusted to six months in space and coped with simulated Mars gravity

Sep 17, 2026

Bare feet standing on a wooden floor beside a discarded black high-heeled shoe

Fusing an arthritic big toe cut walking pain from 5.7 to 1.3 in the first trial to test it

Aug 28, 2026

A therapist guiding a person stretching a resistance band between both hands

Combining cardio and weights lowered deaths by 60% in coronary heart disease trials

Aug 26, 2026

An older man in a blue t-shirt standing in a living room holding a small orange dumbbell in each hand

Exercise for muscle loss peaked near 690 MET-minutes a week, then the benefit fell away

Aug 26, 2026

Two older adults in tree pose on separate mats on a sunlit park lawn, each balanced on one foot with palms pressed overhead

Perturbation training topped 19 exercises tested for balance in 423 trials of 33,901 older adults

Aug 25, 2026

A physiotherapist in a dark uniform fastening a blue and black cuff around a patient's lower leg on a treatment couch

Light weights with a blood flow cuff matched heavy lifting for strength in 45 rehab trials

Aug 25, 2026

A man walking up a wide flight of public stone steps, seen from behind

Stair climbing tracked 39% fewer heart disease deaths across 480,479 people

Aug 24, 2026

A crowd of legs mid-stride walking along a city pavement

High genetic risk plus few steps tripled heart disease risk

Aug 2, 2026

An older man in a red top pressing dumbbells overhead beside a trainer

Fast lifting built power in older adults, but not for everyone

Aug 1, 2026

An older man holding a push-up position on the floor of a living room

Atrial fibrillation sped up muscle loss over 12 years

Jul 31, 2026

Lane ropes across a bright indoor swimming pool

Swimming beat advice alone for chronic back pain

Jul 28, 2026