7 Steps to Healthier Joints

Your joints are like the hinges that keep the doors of your body moving smoothly. Whether it’s walking, bending, or simply turning our heads, your joints facilitate these movements effortlessly when they’re in good condition.

However, neglecting their care can lead to discomfort, pain and even restricted mobility. Once joints begin to protest, it’s too late to turn back the clock.

Joint pain can often come from damage to cartilage, ligaments and/or muscles/tendons. Your joints need healthy cartilage, strong ligaments, and well-functioning muscle/tendon units to function. Cartilage, ligaments, muscles and tendons can become damaged or degenerate over time. Once tissue is damaged or degenerates because of arthritic changes, it will never be the same. But there are things you can do to maintain these tissues so you can have healthier joints.

Cartilage, Ligaments and Tendons

First let’s understand what cartilage, ligaments and tendons are.

Cartilage is the tissue that covers the end of bones acting like both a shock absorber and a lubricant. It helps the bones that make up our joints slide against each other more easily when we move. This shock absorbing tissue can wear out over time due to overuse or injury. As cartilage deteriorates in the case of injury or arthritis, you may develop bone spurs and movement can become stiff and painful.

Ligaments are bands of tough, elastic connective tissue that surround a joint to give it support. They also limit the joint’s movement. Ligaments can tear or become strained. Joints may become unstable when ligaments are damaged.

Tendons are tough cords of tissue that hold muscles to bones. When muscles contract, tendons react, causing bones to move. Inflammation of the tendons may result from overuse. Too much stress on joints can tear and inflame tendons.

7 Steps to Healthier Joints

There steps can help preserve the cartilage, strengthen the muscles that support joints, and help you live with greater mobility and less pain.

1. Kick the habit: There’s no shortage of information on how smoking can harm the heart, lungs, and other organ systems, but did you know that it can affect your joints, too? Smoking increase inflammation throughout the body, making it more difficult for your body to recover from injury or overuse. That includes harm and wear and tear to cartilage.

2. Kick up your heals: While overuse of joints can lead to trouble, it’s important to remember your “hinges” were designed for motion. Regular, moderate, physical activity can relieve pain and stiffness, strengthen the muscles that support your joints, help with weight management, and improve balance, reducing the risk of falling and damaging your joints.

If you aren’t normally active, choose exercises that are gentle to decrease your risk of injury. It’s also important to vary activities to improve your overall flexibility, strength and range of motion. Some good choices include:

• Yoga
• Tai Chi
• Walking
• Swimming
• Strength training with light weights or resistance bands

3. Increase your water intake: Cartilage is made of 80% water, so the more water you drink, the healthier your joints will be. While other fluids can help keep you hydrated, water is still your best choice.

4. Take the pressure off: Joints are made to sustain a certain amount of pressure, but carrying around extra pounds may put more stress on your joints than you realize. That pressure can lead to premature deterioration of cartilage, especially in the lower body.

5. Eat a healthy diet: We’ve long known that a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts, and beans and low in processed foods and saturated fats reduces the risk of heart and other diseases. But it can also be good for your joints. According to the Arthritis Foundation, a Mediterranean diet may reduce inflammation that can damage joints and lead to osteoarthritis.

6. Stand up straight: Poor posture can place abnormal stress on your joints leading to wear and tear on your cartilage. Practicing good posture decreases that stress and helps your muscles work more effectively to support your joints.

For good standing posture:

• Stand up straight with your shoulders back and down.
• Keep your head level and in line with your body.
• Tuck your abdomen in and tilt your pelvis slightly forward.
• Keep your feet shoulder width apart.

For good sitting posture:

• Place your back against the back of the chair.
• Keep your head level and in line with your body.
• Feet should be flat on the floor.
• Maintain a small space between the backs of your knees and the chair.
• Make sure your knees are at the same height or slightly lower than your hips.

7. Take care of your bones: Keeping your bones healthy is just as important as protecting your cartilage when it comes to joint health. Our bones benefit from the steps we take to keep our joints healthy, but there are additional steps we can take to keep them strong. One of those steps in having a diet high in calcium and vitamin D, which can be found in:

• Tuna
• Salmon
• Swordfish
• Egg yolks
• Fortified milk, juices and cereals

It’s also a good idea to limit consumption of carbonated soft drinks, coffee, and alcohol, which can cause your body to shed calcium you need.

Healthier Joints = Healthier You

Maintaining good joint health is important for your overall well-being. Making a few changes to your lifestyle could delay and prevent joint deterioration and keep the cartilage intact. Implementing steps for healthier joints can also aid in less discomfort, pain and even restricted mobility.

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