Good for you being so proactive and going to the gym. I have problem knees and the physiotherapist said to either walk or swim. I do walk on my treadmill most days. But I no longer go to the gym...although maybe I should go swimming in the gym pool...
Taking Turmeric with a few grounds of pepper in the drink every day, really helps me get over stiffness and diminishes pain.
I have been getting a Synvisc shot every 6 - 8 months and it is safe unlike cortisone. It is gel that cushions the knew. It costs several hundred dollars a shot but...when it's for one's health, that is fine.
If you are on statins and let's face it, Big Pharma has most of us on them...(I feel a rant coming on), that could be causing issues with muscle wasting and weakness and joints. NO ONE at retirement age, unless he or she has had a heart attack in his or her forties, should be on statins. Statins are now being shown NOT to be heart protective and just not worth the terrible side effects. And they not only cause problems with muscles but also the liver and memory. No thank you!
Don't take my word for it. Always check these things out...with sources that are not subsidized by Big Pharma, of course. Google something like 'dangers of statins' and look for credible sources of research.