Do you know someone in your family or around who is experiencing pain or discomfort in your neck, shoulders, or knees? Though, to maintain joint health, exercising is necessary. Want to learn what else can you do to better manage your joint pain without taking any external steroids? Unfortunately, joint pain comes naturally as one gets older. But simply by taking some preventative measures, you can help maintain your joint’s optimum health. Also, active joints are less likely to experience lesser discomfort and injury in later years in life. If you are experiencing joint pain, and wish to learn more about its preventative joint care methods, then visit pharmacy limassol.
Here, we bring to you some tips to keep your joints in top shape.
Weight Maintenance
The joints in your body can only withstand a specific amount of weight. If you are overweight and carry those extra pounds, then it can put stress on your joints that they may not be able to handle. Conversely, being underweight can prevent your joints from being stable. Significant weight loss reduces knee pain, function, stiffness, and anything associated with knee osteoarthritis.
To maintain a healthy weight, you will need to take care of several things including a well-balanced diet, regular exercise, and getting plenty of sleep.
Regular Exercises
Daily exercises mean that you are using your joints regularly in some kinds of physical activities. This, in turn, will prevent damage to your joints and prevent joints pain later in life.
Some low-impact but healthy exercises for joints include bike riding, swimming, yoga, speed walking, lifting weights, running on a treadmill or elliptical machine. If you do these exercises daily, then you are likely to keep your joints active and healthy, which can boost their resilience to injury and strain later on.
Also, many people who suffer from arthritis resist regular physical activity or exercise. This is because they fear it will further increase pain or further damage their joints, worsening their situation. While this isn’t the case, our joints allow for movement as the body is supposed to move.
If you allow some movement, it will ease your joint stiffness and reduce joint pain while strengthening your muscles surrounding the joints. This will ultimately also help you maintain a healthy weight. All these benefits are undoubtedly real, so keep moving!
Stop Smoking
You admit it, but smoking can increase inflammation and further harm your joints. So, if you are injured and continue to smoke, then it can be quite difficult to recover. Therefore, it is always advisable to quit smoking if common methods like the patch or gum aren’t working for you.
Many people are unaware that smoking can significantly increase the risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures. Not just that, smoking can increase the likelihood of injuries involving bursitis or tendonitis.
Smokers also face a significantly higher risk of low back pain and rheumatoid arthritis. Understand something that if you want to improve your joint and bone health, then you must stop smoking.
Drink More Water
80% of your cartilage comes from water. If you aren’t hydrated enough, then your body will compensate for that water by taking it from other areas, which can be harmful to your joints. Therefore, you must give up on that harmful soda and sugary drinks, and opt for water instead.
Prioritize Vitamin D and Calcium and Other Supplements
Two nutrients that are important for healthy joints and bones are Vitamin D and calcium. Your body needs Vitamin D for the absorption of calcium. This can be effectively obtained through sun exposure, diet, or external supplementation like lamberts glucosamine complete.
To determine if you lack Vitamin D and need some external supplementation, take a blood test from your nearby healthcare provider. Low calcium leads to decreased bone density and increased fracture risk.
Take an Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Reducing inflammation can be really effective in keeping arthritis symptoms under control and maintaining your joints’ optimum condition.
Go for an anti-inflammatory diet that involves avoiding foods that can increase inflammation and indulge in binging on foods that decrease inflammation. For instance, you can opt for the Mediterranean diet, which is good for keeping inflammation under control.
Include Exercises like Warm-Ups and Cool-Downs
Jumping right into exercising isn’t the ideal option. Instead, stretch your muscles in different body areas that will warm up your joints and prepare them for the vigorous workout ahead.
Finally, cool-down stretches once you are done with your workout. Cooling down exercises help ease sore joints and prevent post-workout injuries. If you skip warm-ups and cool-downs, then it will increase the risk of strain, further leading to injuries.
These warm-ups and cool-downs should last for no more than five minutes. In warm-ups and cooling down sessions, use the same muscles you do during your regular exercise, but with far less intensity. These exercises become important because older joints tend to be less resilient.
