Are your joints starting to feel the pressure? Here are some tips on how you can better manage your joint health to prevent stiffness and achiness.
Protect Your Joints
While we talked about how to keep our bones healthy in a previous blog, it's also important to take steps to improve our joint health, especially as we age and potentially face the issue of arthritis.
Let's take a look at some ways you can boost your joint health this year:
Take Time to Exercise
When you stay in one position for too long, you risk causing pain to your joints. Even when working at your desk job, sitting too long can cause stiffness.
Therefore, it is recommended that you try to get up and stretch at least every 15 to 20 minutes, if possible, to promote better joint health.
Even when at home, get up during commercial breaks to walk around and give relief to your joints.
Take Time to Make Your Home Joint-Friendly
Have you ever thought about whether your house setup is friendly to the joints?
For instance, purchase a bed that is easy to get in and out of, as well as place devices in the home that make it easier to move in and out of the bathtub or shower without putting too much stress on your joints.
Take the Stress off Your Joints
Just like you can put added stress on your body, you also place too much stress on your joints.
The best way to reduce stress on the joints? Get to — and maintain — a healthy weight.
Take Time to Find Your Strong Joints
If you wanted to win a race, you wouldn't use your slower runners, would you? No, you would use your fastest. The same holds true for when you are needing to use your joints.
Don't use your weakest joints to perform tasks like opening heavy doors or carrying boxes downstairs. Instead, use the strongest joints to help prevent injury to your joints.
Not sure how to do so? A personal trainer or physical therapist can help you build functional fitness, which helps you perform daily activities without hurting your joints.
Dealing with chronic pain in your joints? Make an appointment with our team at Parkridge Bone & Joint today, or come by our Walk-In Clinic for immediate care. No appointment is necessary.