Arthritis is one of the common problems of joints that develops with age. This happens when our joints, just like other parts of the body, start to wear out. Therefore, it is imperative to keep your joint health in good shape and maintain their natural form by implementing a few simple changes in our lifestyle.
Joints are an important part of our body. They help us in mobility and perform an important function – bending the body at various angles, allowing flexibility.
We have various joints of different shapes and sizes connecting our bones across our body.
The longest joint is the hip joint. Joints allow us to bend our knees, elbows, hips, fingers, toes, and even wrists.
In this article, we will share a few simple lifestyle changes so you can prevent and also get relief from arthritis pain.
What Causes Arthritis?
Your joints are a part of your body’s musculoskeletal system. Therefore, the best way to take care of your joints is to keep the surroundings healthy.
Muscles, ligaments, and bones comprise the surrounding structure of your joints and that is what you must focus on. Also note that the stronger your bones are, the longer the life of your joints will be.
Synovium and cartilages are smooth tissues that act as a cushion in your joints so that the bones don’t rub against each other. A lubricating fluid, called synovial fluid, supports the soft tissues. The fluid keeps the bones greasy to reduce friction, just as how the engine oil in a vehicle works.
Aging, injury to bone and muscle, and carrying heavy weight can damage the cartilage faster, which can result in arthritis. There are different types of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and so on.
Some of the other risk factors of arthritis include obesity, knee surgery, carrying extra weight around the joints, and applying pressure on joints.
Ways to Keep Your Joints Strong
Arthritis is characterized by excruciating pain while performing regular activities, decreased mobility, tenderness around the joints, swelling in affected areas, and awkward bending of joints.
While you can control the symptoms of arthritis with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), arthritis is a life-long condition that may worsen with negligence.
Therefore, if you want to get natural relief from arthritis, modify your lifestyle and follow the tips below to keep your bones strong.
Maintain Your Ideal Weight
Even a few extra pounds can apply pressure to your weight-bearing joints, such as the knee, ankle, and hip and wear them down sooner.
You must maintain a healthy body weight in order to prevent this. Studies reveal that with each pound you lose, you reduce four-fold loading force on your knee when you walk. If you are overweight, try to lose 8% to 10% of your total weight to prevent arthritis.
Exercise is very Important for Joint Health
Stay Active and Exercise
Regular exercising can eliminate the risks of developing joint diseases. Exercising will also help you shed extra pounds and maintain a balanced weight. However, the right kind of exercise matters a lot.
Any activity that gets your heartbeat up is a perfect routine for your overall health. Aerobic and cardio exercises (that don’t involve lots of pounding), swimming, cycling, LIIT, functional training, and GRIT exercises are great for weight reduction.
Exercising also looks after muscle and bone health. For instance, weight lifting, kickboxing, yoga, pilates, and HIIT are great strength gaining and weight loss exercises that you can focus on.
NOTE: Keeping your joints inactive is another cause for early aging of cartilages. Fewer movements mean stiff joints. On the other hand, the more you move, the more flexible your joints’ soft tissues will become.
Do not sit in a chair for a long period, change positions frequently, walk 10 steps every half an hour, and stretch your muscles every day. You can also take up a sport as a hobby to strengthen your muscles and joints.
Eat the Right Foods
Drink plenty of water, include calcium, vitamin D, and other micronutrients to maintain your bone health, and have loads of protein and fiber-rich foods. 80 percent of your cartilage is made up of water. If you do not stay hydrated, the body will start absorbing water from these soft tissues, damaging them before time.
The same goes for the foods you eat. Avoid foods that increase inflammation and create oxidative stress. Stop eating junk, fried items, and processed foods, and quit smoking for good. All of these can increase the number of free radicals in your body, which is the main cause of oxidative stress.
Listen to Your Body
If your muscles and joints are strained, you will get joint pain after exercising or newly developed joint pain without any reason. These can later develop into serious musculoskeletal problems, including joint diseases.
To avoid such strains, stretch your muscles, go for physiotherapy, seema fitness trainer if you are doing something wrong, and embrace a non-toxic lifestyle.
Just because you are growing old, it doesn’t mean you will have to suffer from painful joints. There are various natural ways to get relief from arthritis pain. Taking simple, preventive measures is all you need to keep your joints strong and flexible.
