How to Improve Joint Health – How to Keep Joints Healthy
Joints in the human body have one primary directive, and that is to bend so that one body part can move in a different direction than the one it is connected to. Think of your knee doing just that for your thigh and calf. It’s a beautiful thing considering what an awkward mess walking would be if the knee did not bend like it does. Same goes for your elbows and ankles, and there other super-essential joints in your body too. It goes without saying that having joints that are stiff and don’t bend so well are problematic, and so the question becomes how to improve joint health. Now if were possible to tell someone to not grow old and be legit about that it would be the best place to start.
But of course that’s illogical to suggest, and there’s no one who’s ever been alive on this planet who has avoided aging. So wear and tear on your joints IS going to happen, and all you can do about it is do what you can to keep those joints healthy. Healthy joints are resilient joints, and resilient joints are going to much less likely to become stiff and painful as you get older. Let’s keep in mind as well that having healthy and resilient joints may mean they heal better from injury too – not everyone who has joint pain and stiffness has it because they’ve grown older.
Ask a variety of people from all ages of life and they’ll tell you they’d be most concerned about their knees. Fair enough considering what they allow so many of us to do in the way of sports, hobbies, or even things as simple as getting out of bed in the morning. Knee osteoarthritis can mean you see healthy joints as a long-distant memory, but before you give up on golf, stop skateboard, or resign yourself to not rising in the morning you should know that these days knee injections for arthritis are showing a lot of promise for pain relief and improved mobility.
So let’s use this entry to talk more about how to keep joints healthy and best approaches for how to improve joint health.
3-Way Set for Best Bending
Joints that are in ideal health and full of bending ability from maximum mobility are always going to have one thing in common, or maybe 3 things that is; they’ll have heath cartilage and synovium, and plenty of synovia fluid to keep the synovium plenty soft and supple for maximum cushioning. To circle back to aging, one of the things that is equally unavoidable is that as you get older you’re not going to produce as much of that synovial fluid. That means a drying out of the tissues, and as a result they provide less cushioning and start to break down on their own.
However, there are ways to increase synovial fluid. If you have chronic joint pain that isn’t helped by medications like Celebrex then looking into natural ways to boost synovial fluid may be something you want to look into. Other factors can play into a person having less joint cushioning, and again this is especially true for the knees when it comes to excess body weight. It is standard knowledge among kinesiologists and other human physiology and performance experts that for every 10lb of excess body weight you put an additional 30lbs of pressure on your knees. So it is very true that if you want to know how to improve joint health, the biggest difference may come from you slimming down.
No doubt that is easier said than done for many, but it really does need to be stated here.
Get Moving
And not in the sense that you’ve been procrastinating with something. Physical exercise may mean sore and stiff joints feel even more stiff and sore, but that may be only temporary. If you want to know how to improve joint health it may be best to choose your favorite way of breaking a sweat. That doesn’t mean you need to go off the deep end and start doing plyometrics or anything else of the sort where knees and ankles get put through their paces big time. The are low-impact high intensity workouts that are ideal for people dealing with joint health issues.
Strengthening muscles around joints is helpful too, and much as above this can be done with resistance training rather than strength training. Regular workouts with something as simple as the right pair of resistance bands can do. The last mention here around how to improve joint health is something that office workers should take note of more than others. Reason being is that they likely sit down for long stretches of the day. This is bad for your joints, even though you might think otherwise. Try to stand up more often during the day, and standing desks are one way of doing that.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The above information is intended to increase awareness of health information and does not suggest treatment or diagnosis. This information is not a substitute for individual medical attention and should not be construed to indicate that use of the drug is safe, appropriate, or effective for you. See your health care professional for medical advice and treatment.
