A balanced diet, regular physical activity, and practicing good posture will help you keep your joints healthy. Joint care means using your joints in ways that avoid excess stress.
Joint Health
The healthy joint function is associated with the overall quality of life with the ability to stand from a sitting position or to be able to move around from a standing positing with relative comfort. Many people assume that joint conditions are just a normal part of the aging process.
However, this is not the fact. There is a greater risk of developing joint problems as we age. A majority of people do not think about the health of the joints until they start experiencing pain. And for people with common conditions like tendonitis, chronic inflammation, and arthritis, there is not a single day that spent by without experiencing severe joint pain.
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There are numerous joints in the human body, which are made up of tendons, cartilage, bursas, synovial membrane, and ligaments. All of these are subject to wear and tear over time means they damage naturally and occurs as a result of aging, excess weight, repetitive stress, and injury. Signs of joint problems may include stiffness, swelling, and reduced mobility. A visible deformity may also visible in some cases. Most of the people ignore the initial signs of a joint condition until it becomes unbearable, which make the inflamed joints difficult to treat.
The good news is that with a right care it is possible to maintain pain-free joints for later years. Healthy joints equal a better quality of life so here’s the tips to keep them healthy through the ages.
Keep moving- Stay in motion to have healthy joints. The more you move, the less stiffness you will have. When you are working at a desk in your office, get up and stretch every 15 minutes. Also, do it at your home while reading books or watching television. This makes a big difference towards reducing stiffness.
Eat a nutritious diet- In order to heal joint pain, an adequate supply of essential nutrients is required. Food has been used for its medicinal qualities since ancient times. Select foods that are rich in nutrition and beneficial for growing tissues.
Avoid taking processed foods and fatty meals as these increases inflammation and add to the pain you are already experiencing. Improve your diet with foods containing omega 3 fatty acids, amino acids, yogurt, spices, extra virgin olive oil, fruits, and vegetables.
Hydrate yourself- Our body is 70 % water, and you can lose up to three liters of water daily through urination, exhalation, and perspiration. The connective tissue in our body is primarily made up of water. Cartilage provides a smooth surface for the joints to move with a quiet continuous motion. Hence, it is necessary to keep the cartilage hydrated to help lubricate and cushion the joints. 80% of daily water intake needs to be consumed from liquids, while the rest 20% can be acquired from the food we eat. An individual should drink at least eight glasses of water a day to fully rehydrate the body. Increasing water intake can aggravate joint pain.
Maintain a healthy weight– A healthy weight plays a key role in maintaining the health of the joints. Obesity is not necessarily the direct cause of the problem, but it has many unwanted effects on the body, it can add up to the level of damage to the joints.
According to clinical studies, it has been demonstrated that the incidence rate of arthritis is twice as high in people who are obese when compared to people with a normal weight.
Exercise regularly- People who suffer from joint conditions like arthritis are more likely to spend time indoors, which causes muscle around the body to become weaker. The joints need a regular motion to maintain flexibility. Do not become a couch potato, if you are suffering from joint pain, it is important to do workout daily for at least 20 minutes.
Quit Smoking- Smoking has numerous negative effects, it can affect the overall health of an individual. Cigarettes contain harmful chemicals that reduce blood flow and cause poor circulation. Regular smoking also reduces the recovery time of an injury.
Practice good posture- Practicing good posture keeps your body properly aligned. Sitting or standing in a good posture avoids placing unnecessary stress on the joints which can help reduce the chances of developing backache, muscle pain, or strain.
Use joint supplements-Many of the essential nutrients that the body produces naturally to maintain joint health reduce over time. In this case, the joint supplement is used to promote healthy joints and reduce the progression of joint conditions in osteoarthritis. Glucosamine is considered to be the best joint supplement to treat arthritis.
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Another supplement called Hyaluronic acid helps the cartilage to retain water. It is the primary component of the synovial fluid and provides flexibility to the tissues.