Joint pain? Here’s what to do…

Healthy joints act like cushions with several types of connective tissue to shield bone-on-bone friction and absorb shock.

Much of your long term joint health is influenced by how you look after other parts of your body in the short term. An holistic approach to health will ensure you look after your joints into old age.

Here are a few ways to make a difference and ensure you maintain healthy joints as you get older.

Healthy diet

Be sure to eat a healthy and balanced diet that includes all food groups. Especially important to the joints are omega 3’s from fish and nuts, calcium for bone strength, and vitamin D, which helps with the absorption of calcium. Caffeine has been shown to weaken bone strength so cutting down on your daily fix can be beneficial long term. Equally important is reducing your consumption of alcohol and too much rich food which are known to cause inflammatory conditions such as Gout.

It is especially important for fitness junkies to replenish nutrients after a hard workout. Glucosamine supplementation, for a short period of time, may help to ease joint pain.

Maintaining a healthy weight

It goes without saying the less weight you carry around the less stress is put on your joints. However “healthy” and “weight” are the key words here. If you drop your weight too low, your body will start using valuable nutrients from sources such as your bones and muscles with long term negative consequences.

The right amount of exercise

Regular exercise helps to maintain strength and mobility in joints. Strengthening exercises help to create strong ligaments which stabilise joints and relieve stresses. Building strong muscles is essential to bone health, as weight bearing activity helps in the formation of new bone tissue.

It’s a balancing act. Incorporating low impact exercise such as swimming, cycling and low impact aerobics can give your joints the rest they need every once in a while.

When you are working out at the gym ensure you abide by correct techniques to protect yourself from damage. Limit activities that jar and over-extend your joints like jumping from heights, or poor lifting techniques which can result in joint injuries such as Bursitis and Tendonitis.

Stretching

Stretching is important to keep optimum length in muscles. When you create too much tension the muscles start pulling the joints together and damaging cartilage and connective tissues. Just 10 minutes of gentle stretching each day helps to keep muscles healthy.

Stretching before a workout is particularly important for weightlifters. This helps to prepare the muscles and joints for the upcoming stress. It’s best to hold the stretch for 20 to 30 seconds rather than bouncing back and forth, which can be harmful for your tendons and joints.

The right amount of rest

Resting your joints is just as important as making use of them. After a exercise, be sure to replenish your body with the nutrients it needs and drink plenty of water. Also important is getting optimum sleep for recovery.

When undertaking strenuous tasks, look for easier ways, for example, instead of leaning over to pick something up from a difficult or twisted position, ascertain a better position that makes use of the larger joints to sustain the lifting.

Knowing when enough is enough

There is a fine line between pushing yourself hard and overdoing it. At the first sign of any form of pain or irritation in your joints, stop what you are doing and take a rest. Ice is a great way to reduce any inflammation.

Trying to work through the pain can all too often cause further damage. Know your limits and recognise them.

Taking some simple steps now, to look after your joints and avoid long term damage, ensures a relatively pain free and active lifestyle in the long run and through to later life.

Do you suffer from joint pain? Here’s what you need to do…