As you age, your joints do as well. While some of this change is unavoidable, there are steps you can take to maintain healthy joints. Most of these present themselves as lifestyle changes that can provide ample benefits. A few quick changes can make a huge difference.
How To Maintain Healthy Joints
At South Shore Orthopedics, we have treated many patients with damaged or aged joints. Through this experience, we also know what it takes to maintain healthy joints. Here, we provide you with seven steps to know it for yourself as well.
Don’t Remain Stationary For Too Long
When your body is stationary, your muscles do not have the chance to get stronger. When you’re moving, the muscles around your joints are getting stronger and better at protecting those joints. There are so many ways to get active that you do not have to make drastic changes. Something as simple as a standing desk can make a big impact.
Maintain Your Ideal Weight
Gaining weight that goes above your body’s ideal numbers puts extra pressure on your joints. The ability to maintain a weight stems from getting exercise, practicing a healthy diet, and paying attention to portion sizes. Even slight weight loss can have a profound impact on the work that your joints have to do daily.
Avoid Inflammatory Foods
Joints struggle when inflamed. There are foods that contribute to this problem that are best to be avoided as you try to maintain healthy joints. According to Healthline, there are six main categories of inflammatory foods to avoid.
- Sugar and High Fructose Corn Syrup
- Artificial Trans Fat
- Vegetable and Seed Oil
- Refined Carbohydrates
- Excessive Alcohol
- Processed Meats
Once you can identify these in your current diet, you can remove them and start to see the results on your joints and the rest of your body. This decline in inflammation will be felt all throughout the body, not just in your joints.
Ensure You Are Getting Enough Vitamin C and Calcium
Vitamins are an important part of anyone’s health. Joints need Vitamin C and Calcium to remain healthy and functional. Both of these play a key role in overall wellness. Calcium acts as a key ingredient in strong bones and muscle control. As we do not naturally produce calcium, we must supplement that intake with foods and vitamins.
Vitamin C can act as a buffer against those inflammatory foods as it reduces those risks and maintains healthy joints. There are limits to how much Vitamin C to take daily. The Mayo Clinic recommends about 75 milligrams for women and 90 milligrams for men.
Strengthen Your Bones
While each of these steps can strengthen your bones, there are other important things to consider. When your bones are strong, your joints are protected. Promoting exercise, a healthy diet, and movement are all great ways to strengthen your bones. There is also decreasing substance use such as alcohol and drugs that can contribute to this as well. This can help maintain healthy joints while also aiding other areas as well.
Try Low-Impact Exercise
There are all sorts of exercises to try out to maintain healthy joints. If you are looking for a less intensive option, try low-impact exercises. This includes walking, cycling, swimming, rowing, and even yoga. You do not have to sacrifice variety. Each of these can strengthen bones and protect joints while not overloading your body.
It does not have to be difficult to maintain healthy joints. It is more about learning what you can do to help yourself. These seven steps are great places to start your joint journey. Are you looking for more recommendations for joint health? South Shore Orthopedics is here to help and provide ample resources for you. Check out our website or give us a call at (781) 337-5555 for more information.