With age comes many wonderful things: wisdom, experience and, perhaps, respect. But somewhere along the road of life, body parts might start snapping, crackling and popping. It may lead you to wonder, when did my joints start sounding like Rice Krispies?

Although joint pain may make you feel like the rusted tin man (or woman,) sometimes, it's no laughing matter. Kelly Martin, director of programs and services in Alberta for the Arthritis Society of Canada says that joint pain can be one chink in a chain of health issues you shouldn't ignore.

Who arthritis hurts and why
A common cause of joint pain is arthritis; and the older you get, the more likely you are to develop arthritis. But younger people aren't exempt from this chronic condition. According to the Arthritis Society of Canada, about 200,000 Canadians between the ages of 25 and 34 have some form of arthritis.

And juvenile arthritis affects 1 in 1,000 Canadian children under the age of 16.Arthritis causes pain because of inflammation or bone rubbing against bone. In response, the surrounding muscles that work the joint tighten to protect the hurting joint. As these muscles remain tense for a long period of time, they also begin to hurt.

Causes of joint pain
However joint pain is not solely linked to arthritis and can affect people of all ages. Montreal chiropractor and spokesperson for the Canadian Chiropractor's Association Dr. Annette Bourdon says that most joint pain is caused by one, or a combination, of four things: injury, misalignment, lack of exercise and arthritis.

First, consult your physician to determine the cause of your joint pain before beginning a new exercise regimen. "If you exercise an injured or inflamed joint, a misaligned joint, or a severely arthritic joint, you could make it worse," says Dr. Bourdon.

How exercise relieves joint pain
Starting a new exercise regimen might seem intimidating if you suffer from joint pain but, over the long-term, it could weaken pain and help slow down arthritis's degenerative process.

Most joints actually need movement in order to stay healthy, explains Dr. Bourdon. "Some of the joint tissues, like the discs in the spine and joint cartilage, have very few blood vessels. These tissues are dependent on joint movement to act as a pump moving oxygen, water and vital nutrients in and waste products out," Dr. Bourdon says. "The less the joints move, the less the tissues are nourished. Movement is a lifeline for joint tissue."