“When we’re young, we take our joints for granted — running and jumping with wild abandon. It’s not until we’re older or face an injury that we realize what our joints do for us and why protecting them matters,” said Dr. Mark Maffet, orthopedic sports medicine specialist with Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine. Follow these five smart tips to keep your joints healthy:
1. Maintain a healthy weight. Every extra pound you gain puts four times the stress on your knees, but even a small amount of weight loss will give your knees relief, says the Arthritis Foundation.
2. Get regular aerobic exercise, especially low-impact aerobic activities, such as bike riding, swimming or elliptical machines. “These types of exercise will preserve the joints and the muscles around them,” said Maffet. “I have seen elderly people whose muscles, bones and joints are years younger than their age due to regular exercise.”
3. Include stretching to stay limber. This helps prevent tight muscles, which exert extra force on joints and limit range of motion.
4. Add weight-bearing exercises to keep bones strong, Maffet said. These include weight lifting, as well as aerobic activities in which you must support your own weight, like running, skiing, soccer, rock climbing or jumping rope.
5. Take care of your joints now. “Prevention starts at a young age,” Maffet said. “Athletes need to remember that their muscles, bones and joints must last their lifetime. If injured, seek treatment as soon as possible.
Source: http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/sugar_land/living/methodist-sugar-land-hosting-free-joint-pain-seminar/article_d66a5677-a053-585f-8dce-c910802f42fc.html
1. Maintain a healthy weight. Every extra pound you gain puts four times the stress on your knees, but even a small amount of weight loss will give your knees relief, says the Arthritis Foundation.
2. Get regular aerobic exercise, especially low-impact aerobic activities, such as bike riding, swimming or elliptical machines. “These types of exercise will preserve the joints and the muscles around them,” said Maffet. “I have seen elderly people whose muscles, bones and joints are years younger than their age due to regular exercise.”
3. Include stretching to stay limber. This helps prevent tight muscles, which exert extra force on joints and limit range of motion.
4. Add weight-bearing exercises to keep bones strong, Maffet said. These include weight lifting, as well as aerobic activities in which you must support your own weight, like running, skiing, soccer, rock climbing or jumping rope.
5. Take care of your joints now. “Prevention starts at a young age,” Maffet said. “Athletes need to remember that their muscles, bones and joints must last their lifetime. If injured, seek treatment as soon as possible.
Source: http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/sugar_land/living/methodist-sugar-land-hosting-free-joint-pain-seminar/article_d66a5677-a053-585f-8dce-c910802f42fc.html
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