Living things change as they age – the human body is a prime example. Skin wrinkles and thins, hair color fades, and joints lose lubrication, becoming arthritic. Here are five tips helpful in protecting your joints as you age.
Take Hydration Seriously
More people today understand the importance of hydration, but some still haven’t gotten the message: humans can live without food for weeks but can’t go without water for more than three days. Aging adults and children are at higher risk for dehydration, which affects a few body functions, including joints. Cartilage in the joints is 80% water, hence if you don’t drink enough water, these tissues will deplete, causing joint pain and osteoarthritis.
Stop Smoking
Smoking is dangerous for numerous reasons, with lung cancer and heart diseases on the top of the list. Smoking also affects the joints. Nicotine leads to high inflammation throughout the body, and this causes pain. Additionally, smoking constricts the blood vessels, so the circulatory system wouldn’t be able to function as efficiently in transporting oxygen around the body. Your healing processes also get worse.
Do Not Skip Warmups
We are always in a rush, and may be tempted to neglect warming up before an exercise. However, if you jump into a workout too instantly, you may risk injuring yourself and joint problems in the near future.
By moving and stretching your muscles before performing a full exercise, you are preparing your joints for the intensity that’s to come. Bear in mind though that warmups don’t mean stretches where you hold a position for mere seconds. Dynamic stretching is the best way to prep your joints for action; this means mimicking the various movements you plan to do in your exercise, whether it’s tennis, running, weightlifting, or golf. Whatever the chosen sport is, there’s a dynamic stretch to prep your body effectively.
Lose Weight
Being obese or overweight raises the risk for numerous health problems, and painful joints is one of them. Aside from causing inflammation throughout the body and pain in the joints, additional weight also affects your knee joints.
For every extra pound the body has, an extra 4 pounds of pressure is added to the knees every time you run, walk or stand. Yes, four pounds do not sound a lot, but if a person is 30 pounds beyond his or her ideal BMI, for instance, the knees would have to bear an extra 120 pound of pressure.
Listen to Your Joints
Pains and aches are common. When you engage in activities such as basketball, helping a family member move, or even gardening, you can expect to experience sore muscles the very next day. However, joint pain is different as it causes:
- Redness
- Stiffness
- Weakness
- Locking
- Warmth
It’s critical that you literally listen to your joints, as some cases may even have audible symptoms like popping or clicking. Rittenhouse Village At Northside is able to guide you through a range of options to help you cope with joint pain, so you can keep your joints healthy, manage the symptoms of arthritis, or heal injured joints. To learn more about joint health and the assistance available to help you cope with joint pain, contact us today.
