A growing body of evidence shows that regular exercise can delay or prevent many age-related ailments including osteoporosis, arthritis, dementia and more.
Increasingly, research suggests that being active could be one of the best strategies for people who suffer from pain and stiffness due to osteoarthritis.
“Almost all studies show that exercise reduces pain and disability,” says N. John Bosomworth, clinical instructor in the Department of Family Practice at UBC. Bosomworth says his 2009 peer-reviewed analysis of current research also found that the exercise benefit is roughly equivalent to the continuous use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen.

US News, Wed May 23 2012, Link to full text