Exercises for Healthy Joints

As stated by Harvard Medical School, strengthening the muscles around a damaged joint will aid in the support of the joint by taking over some of its responsibilities it has to the body.  Correct muscle balance and strength can hold the joints in the best functional way and least amount of pain (Harvard Medical School, 2012).  Cases that involve the knees or hips are common because they support all of the body’s weight.  Poor knees and hips are especially common in people who run and lift weights.  The first of the muscles that normally loses strength are the quadriceps and the gluteals.  The quadriceps have the opposite function of that of the gluteals and hamstrings. While the quadriceps contract the gluteals, the hamstrings relax.  Thus, this is why it is essential for all over exercise for the benefit of strength and stability not relaying on only one muscle or on the joint itself (Harvard Medical School, 2012).

Closed-chain and open-chain exercises are suggested by physical therapists for joint pain.  The “chain” stands for it is a series of body part movements such as the hip, knee, ankle, and foot.  In the open-chain exercise, the body is stationary while the limbs move.  For example, an open-chain exercise normally consists of a machine, like a leg extension, the body is stationary although the legs are moving forward to lift the weight that is assigned (Harvard Medical School, 2012).  In the closed-chain exercise, the limbs are stationary while the body is in motion.  A closed-chain exercise would be a squat where the feet stay stationary while the quadriceps do the work of contracting during the bending process.  Therapist may suggests both chain exercises, but tend to lean more towards closed-chain exercises due to involving more than one muscle around the joints (Harvard Medical School, 2012).

Exercising without putting excess stress on your hips and knees– such as floor, weight, or swimming routines– should last around thirty minutes or until the joints feel strong enough to do more vigorous activities.  Floor routines could consist of abdominal curls, jackknifes, crunches, push-ups, or leg lifts.  Hand weight routines could include repetition of small to large hand weights.  Swimming reduces the weight that is put onto the joints and can also increase range of motion without joint pain involved (Harvard Medical School, 2012).

 I cannot stress enough how important form is for workouts especially without using equipment.  There is a lot to keep in mind while performing a single workout like a push up. The head should not move much during the up and down motions, shoulders and back need to be stable, and the hands should be placed directly under the shoulders placement. When pressing upward from the chest, focus the pressure on the outer part of the palms.  The hips and torso should be as straight as possible during the motion and the body should dip a little lower than a ninety degree angle.  This may seem like a lot of work required for one simple exercise, but one’s body benefits greatly from it.

Reference

n.a. (2012, June 12). Exercise for stronger knees and hips. Retrieved from http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/exercise-for-stronger-knees-and-hips

Food Choices for Healthy Joints

Exercise is not the only way to succeed in healthy joints.  A healthy diet can also help immensely.  Key foods can help in the reduction in inflammation response, joint pain, and slow the process of aging.  Dr. Liz Applegate from Runner’s World states that the joints withstand a lot of force from the body and the environment.  Every joint contains synovial fluid which cushion and gives nutrients to the cartilage.  It allows the bones to pass across each other without inferring by grinding.  The condition of cartilage depends upon one’s diet, age, and genetics.  Poor cartilage conditions can cause the cells to break down that will lead to clogging of the synovial fluid and bring on an inflammatory response which will result in pain (Runner’s World, 2014).

In Italy the University of Catania researchers found that extra-virgin olive oil added to diet of rats which suffered from joint injuries lubricated the protein in the synovial fluid.  It then would protect the cartilage.  The research lasted for eight weeks and compared rats with normal diets to that of rats included extra-virgin olive oil into their diets.  Adding extra-virgin olive oil to one’s diet can be accomplished through salad dressings, sautéed vegetable, or even adding it to pasta to prevent the noodles from sticking to one another (Runner’s World, 2014).

Everyone knows what happens when peeling an orange: even though the rind is peeled off, there still remains a sort of fuzzy, white layer underneath.  Shockingly, that layer of the orange is an albedo layer.  It contains bioflavonoid in the citrus called nobiletin, and it is known to reduce in the inflammatory response (Runner’s World, 2014).  When eating an orange, keep the layer on as much as possible to absorb the nutrients, or try adding orange zest to foods to add a citric taste.

Perhaps the most well-known healthy joint food is our fish friend, the salmon.  Salmon and many other fish contain the fats known as Omega-3.  Studies have shown that Omega-3 triggers reactions that lead to reducing inflammation, especially for those who suffer from arthritis.  If some people are not big fans of fish, fish-oil supplements would work the same way.  They can actually decrease the frequent use of NSAIDS like ibuprofen to heal reduction of swelling (Runner’s World, 2014).

Some people begin that process of establishing a healthier diet and are unsatisfied with the results.  This may be because the body has to learn how to benefit from the new foods the person has decided to incorporation into their diet. Most of these studies were between six to eight weeks before results will announced. People should analyze their body’s progress after allowing the body to response to the new nutrients.

Reference

Applegate, L. (2014, Aug. 20). Joint Food. Retrieved February 22, 2016, from www.Runnerworld.com/nutrition-for-runners/joint-food

Maintaining Healthy Joints

An American corporation that is known for providing human health and wellness online is WebMD.  It publishes content that deals with health topics that include symptoms checklist, pharmacy information, drug information, blogs of physicians, and provides a place to store personal medical information.  WebMD may seem to generalize symptoms to be more of a serious disease, but they are taking precautions for the public.  It is beneficial for people to have access to the information that WebMD provides while taking precaution not to over-analyze their symptoms.

According to WebMD, joints begin between the two bones.  “Smooth tissue called cartilage and synovium and a lubricant called synovial fluid cushion the joints so bones do not rub together” (WebMD, 2016, par. 3).  Physique impacts the weight that is placed upon the joints.  Weight reduces pressure placed on lower body parts that support the body such as knees, hips, and back.  Research has shown that with every pound of body weight, a person applies four times the amount of stress on the knees (WebMD, 2016).  A person’s knees are used for all lower body movement and can easily accumulate a large amount of stress from running and similar activities.  The femur and tibia hit the patella, the knee bone, at the same time and can cause grinding that will eventually result in arthritis. 

Individuals can prevent chronic damage to the knees from happening by keeping bones, muscles, and ligaments strong with simple and low impact workouts.  Aerobic exercises, such as swimming, are suggested to prevent the joints from swelling.  Swimming puts lesser amounts of stress on joints than high impact exercises.  Weight training can help build more muscle surrounding the ligaments to cushion each step (WebMD, 2016).  An important area to focus on when considering weight training is the core.  Core strength can reduce the amount of tension on the back.

Sitting and standing up straight can protect one’s joints from their neck to their knees; proper posture guards the individual’s hip joints and back muscles.  A useful tool for college students is to not have one’s bookbag only over one shoulder.  When only on one shoulder, the joints become lopsided (WebMD, 2016).  Posture and how an individual carries or lifts items may seem unimportant, but can make a big difference.

References:

Derrer, T, David. (2016). WebMD. Arthritis Health Care. Retrieved February 19, 2016, from http://www.webmd.com/arthritis/caring-your-joints

Introduction

Hello all, my name is Autumn. I am a Health Studies major and I chose healthy joints for my topic. I am intrigued with how the body functions by itself, especially if given a correct diet, exercise, and mental stimulation. Many of us take for granted the mobility that is required to move that directly corresponds to the joints. If it were not for joints we would have bone on bone action. I would like to share information I have found useful for supporting healthy joints from reputable sites.

Please stay tuned in for more posts to come.