17 Tips to Keep Your Joints Healthy

It’s that time of the year again where the dark nights creep in and the cold weather has everyone reaching for the winter woollies. It’s also the time where people start to feel all those aches and pains in their joints.

Follow these helpful tips to keep any joint discomforts to a minimum this chilly season

17 Tips to Keep Your Joints Healthy

Move more - Keep joints healthy by keeping them moving. The more you move, the less stiffness you'll have. Whether you're reading, working, or watching TV, change positions often. Take breaks from your desk or your chair and move around.

Don’t Overuse - With overuse or injury, cartilage on the end of the joints can break down, causing a narrowing of the joint space and the bones to rub together. Painful bony growths, or spurs, may form. This can lead to swelling, stiffness, and possibly osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis.

Protect your Joints - Injury can damage joints. So protecting your joints your whole life is important. Wear protective gear and good footwear. If your joints are already aching, consider wearing braces or supports when playing tennis, golf or soccer.

Watch your Weight - Lose just a few pounds and you'll take some strain off your hips, knees, and back. Extra pounds add to the load placed on these joints, increasing the risk of cartilage breakdown. Even a little weight loss can help. Every pound you lose takes four pounds of pressure off your knees

Warm up before Stretching - Many arthritis experts believe that stretching is the most important type of exercise. Try to stretch daily but at least three times a week. However, it's important that you don't stretch cold muscles. Do a light warm up before stretching to loosen up the joints and the ligaments, and tendons around them.

Choose Low-Impact Exercises - To protect your joints, your best choices are low-impact options like walking, bicycling and swimming. That's because high-impact, pounding, and jarring exercise can increase your risk of joint injuries and may slowly cause cartilage damage. Light weight-lifting exercises should also be included.

Strengthen Muscles around Joints - Stronger muscles around joints mean less stress on those joints. Research shows that having weak thigh muscles increases your risk of knee osteoarthritis, for example. Even small increases in muscle strength can reduce that risk.

Use a Full Range of Motion - Move joints through their full range of motion to reduce stiffness and keep them flexible. Range of motion refers to the normal extent joints can be moved in certain directions.

Strengthen Your Core - Stronger abs and back muscles help with balance. The more balanced you are, the less likely you are to damage your joints with falls or other injuries. So include core (abdominal, back, and hips) strengthening exercises in your routine.

Know Your Joints' Limits - It's normal to have some aching muscles after exercising. But if your pain lasts longer than 48 hours, you may have overstressed your joints. Don't exercise so hard next time. Working through the pain may lead to injury or damage.

Eat Fish to Reduce Inflammation - If you have joint pain from arthritis, eat more fish. Fatty coldwater fish like salmon and mackerel are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s may help keep your joints healthy, as well as reduce inflammation, a cause of joint pain and tenderness in people with RA. Don't like fish? Try fish oil capsules instead.

Get lots of Calcium and Vitamin D - Calcium and vitamin D help keep bones strong. Strong bones can keep you on your feet, and prevent falls that can damage joints. Dairy products are the best sources of calcium, but other options are green, leafy vegetables like broccoli and kale. If you don't get enough calcium in your diet, ask your doctor about supplements.

Maintain Good Posture - Stand and sit up straight. Good posture protects your joints all the way from your neck down to your knees. One easy way to improve posture is by walking. The faster you walk, the harder your muscles work to keep you upright. Swimming can also improve posture.

Be Careful Lifting and Carrying - Consider your joints when lifting and carrying. Carry bags on your arms instead of with your hands to let your bigger muscles and joints support the weight.

Use Ice for Joint Pain - Ice is a natural pain reliever. It numbs pain and helps relieve swelling. If you have a sore joint, apply a cold pack or ice wrapped in a towel. Leave it on for up to 20 minutes at a time. Don't have ice or a cold pack? Try a bag of frozen vegetables wrapped in a towel. Never apply ice directly to the skin.

Try Glucosamine - Glucosamine is a natural chemical compound found in healthy joint cartilage. Some studies have shown glucosamine may provide some relief for moderate to severe pain caused by some forms of arthritis.

Other Supplements - Health food stores are filled with supplements promising to relieve joint pain. In addition to glucosamine, the best scientific evidence is for the herb Devils Claw. Some studies have even shown it to work better than anti-inflammatory drugs for osteoarthritis pain.