Maintaining good health is important for your future, but it’s also imperative to remember that you need to care for your body. Joint health and pain can become an issue in many people’s lives. Joint surgery may be the only solution, but it is by no means the best option. Joint surgery can be a painful and long-lasting process, including surgery, rehab, medication and anesthesia. Suffering from a joint will cause you to lose mobility in your body, and surgical reconstruction may not be very effective if you don’t take the right steps beforehand. If you want the best possible outcome, take care of your body and consider following these top habits to maintain your joint health and avoid surgery.
Consume Healthy Foods
Maintaining a healthy weight is important to many aspects of your health, including your joints. Even if you have extra weight, you can lose fat and maintain muscle. Fat is the cause of joint pain and increases your likelihood of developing osteoarthritis as you age.
Non-fat dairy products such as cottage cheese and yogurt contain calcium to strengthen bones and support joint health.
Non-fat cottage cheese and yogurt can be easily added to your diet, but you also need to make sure that you are consuming enough vitamin D. Vitamin D is found in various foods such as sardines, salmon and eggs. Eating enough vitamin D is important because it will boost your immune system when fighting against infections, giving you better protection against the flu. If you want to stay active and healthy throughout your life, increasing your vitamin D intake is great. The calcium will keep your bones strong, and vitamin D will improve your immune system.
Exercise your Joints
Just as important as avoiding unhealthy joint habits is exercising your joints. Do exercises that don’t put pressure on your joints and stick to low impact activities such as biking and swimming. Yoga is also a great activity for joint health because it puts no pressure on your bones. It’s also an exercise that you can practice for the rest of your life, even when older and can no longer participate in other exercises. Yoga provides benefits such as pain relief, improved blood circulation and stress reduction, making it a healthy choice for people of all ages. The elderly can engage in low impact exercises such as walking and swimming, which are good for joint health.
If you have osteoarthritis, doing exercise every day will improve your mobility in the joint and can prevent swelling, which is a common side effect of this disease. Exercise that requires bending or twisting the joints is best for older adults with arthritis because they work on keeping your muscles flexible and allows for more movement without putting pressure on the joints.
Exercising regularly is necessary for physical health, but you should be careful when and how much you exercise. If you exercise regularly, your body might start to feel stiff or sore at the end of the day. Don’t push yourself past your limits during exercise, especially if it’s hot out or cold outside. To prevent injury, only exercise when it’s cool out or when it’s not too windy outside.
Maintain your Joint Elasticity
Joint elasticity is the amount of movement and flexibility in the joints that allow them to bend and stretch, which keeps them healthy. It doesn’t take long for your joints to lose their elasticity, so exercise regularly to maintain your joint elasticity. People with osteoarthritis often experience decreased joint flexibility, making it more difficult to move as freely as they once did. To help maintain joint flexibility, regular exercise will also help you achieve a more flexible body. You can also bend, twist, and reach to keep your joints flexible. The more flexibility you have in your joints, the easier it will be for you to maintain a healthy weight and stay mobile throughout your life.
Keeping hydrated with water
Water intake will keep joints hydrated, which will help prevent osteoarthritis and improve joint health. Water can also keep joints limber and help prevent aging of the joints while improving health through improved flexibility. You should drink at least one to two liters of water every day. The human body does not produce adequate amounts of water, so you will need to get it from various foods, including fruits and vegetables. Drinking enough water is also very important for your overall health and can help reduce joint pain.
Use Caffeine Only as a Last Resort
Consuming too much caffeine can cause joint pain. If you have had previous joint surgery, you can increase the risk of re-injury by consuming too much caffeine. Caffeine can increase the risk of joint injury and arthritis when consumed regularly. Avoid consuming as much caffeine as possible if you have a joint issue. Only consume caffeine if you need a boost to get through your day or if you have pain after exercise.
Avoid Smoking
Smoking is one of the major causes of smoking-related diseases, including cancer, heart disease and diabetes (in smokers). Even if you have not smoked for years, smoking is still not conducive to your health. Smoking is also one of the leading causes of joint pain. Your joints can become inflamed and more likely to result in joint pain, even if you have had previous joint surgery. Avoid smoking to help avoid joint disease and any future surgical procedures.
Alcohol Consumption
One drink per day is appropriate for your health, but consuming too much alcohol can lead to serious injuries, including joint issues. Alcohol increases your risk of falling, leading to major joint damage. Alcohol also has a dehydrating effect on your body, weakening your bones. This will increase the likelihood of developing osteoporosis or other joint complications that may require surgery.
Injuries and Overuse
Injuries such as sprains and strains are common among athletes and those who exercise regularly. A strain occurs when you overuse an area of your body, resulting in pain and muscle weakness. Over time, the strain can become a stress fracture or major joint damage. Avoid overuse injuries by working on your flexibility and warming up before exercise. Even if you are in a lot of pain, try to avoid heavy lifting or any activity that will put too much pressure on your joints.
Have Regular Joint Checkups
Regularly see your doctor if you are suffering from joint pain so he can keep track of the condition of your joints and advise you on how to prevent more severe joint problems. Your doctor may be able to help identify ways to treat your pain without surgery. If you have ongoing issues, it is advisable to get surgery early before it worsens. Early medication will help you recover faster and pain-free to enjoy life.
Frequent checkups help prevent bigger problems, which is beneficial to your health. Also, if you have joint pain regularly, it can signify something more serious going on with your body. Your doctor should be able to help if you are having joint pain and are not sure of the cause of your pain.
Conclusion
Joint pain can be debilitating and painful and can be difficult to treat. However, you can take care of your joints by making small changes to your lifestyle that will help you stay healthy. Try to avoid overdoing it on the couch, stay active every day and drink lots of water. People with arthritis should also exercise regularly and maintain their joint elasticity through regular stretching exercises. If it does come to the point that you need to see an orthopedic surgeon we suggest visiting Integrated Orthopedics in Scottsdale, AZ.
