Joints can become a serious source of pain and discomfort, making your life unpleasant at times.
I can personally attest to that, since I’ve sustained a wrist injury 6 years ago that left me with a broken scaphoid that never healed.
Joints are slow and difficult to heal since ligaments, tendons and cartilage don’t have a rich blood flow.
I had to deal with pain, stiffness and had difficulty performing basic tasks, like washing dishes.
Today that isn’t the case anymore.
Sure, it’s not good as new, but learning how to take care of my wrist has taught me many valuable lessons, in terms helping me get rid of pain, stiffness and get stronger.
Besides trauma, having an inactive lifestyle can also be a cause for stiff and achy joints.
Stiff joints increase your chances of sprains, strains and dislocations and make getting around difficult.
Add in the extra weight your joints have to carry around if you are overweight, and over time, the risk of developing arthritis becomes real.
So to give your joints a better chances at staying healthy, you can start by focusing on these 10 tips:
- Lose weight
From a mechanical point, increased weight can put a lot of stress on your joints especially on your knees and ankles.
Being overweight increases your chances of having to undergo knee replacement surgery by over 40%.
Getting started and committing to a training program can help you get rid of excess weight, making it a lot easier on your joints.
- Warm up properly
When it comes to warming up, people tend to do a half-assed job, mistake doing cardio for a warm up, or simply skip it completely.
Your warm up is an important part of your training. This is the time to take care of your joints, and get them ready for what’s to come.
- Do some soft tissue work
Tight muscles are often a cause for pain. They can pull on your joints, causing them to get out of alignment resulting in bad posture and pain.
If you are not familiar with foam rolling, then you should definitely look into it. A foam roller is a great tool for regaining muscle elasticity and improving muscle length.
- Stretch
Tight muscles and ligaments can compress your joints, making the bones rub against each other harder.
Stretching can help keep the tension levels around your joints in check, leaving you feel more relaxed, lose and ready to move.
- Improve your mobility
If you lack mobility, your body will have to compensate in some way so that you can perform certain movements. This can put unnecessary stress on your joints, increasing wear and tear.
Doing mobility drills will take your joints through their full range of motion, ensuring you will be able to move properly, with less effort and minimize stress.
- Improve your posture
In time, activities such as sitting, working at the desk, or walking down the street constantly looking at your phone can be very damaging for your posture.
Pad posture puts a lot of stress on the joints, whereas good posture ( http://potorafit.ro/blog/how-does-training-improve-your-posture) puts the least amount of press on your joints.
- Strength train
With strength training you can progressively load your joints.
Progressive overload triggers an adaptation response from your bones, ligaments and cartilage, making your joints stronger.
Strength training develops your muscles as well. Stronger muscles can better support your joints and offer better protection in case of an accident.
- Focus on keeping good form
Not taking your time to learn how to perform exercises with good form can take a toll on your joints.
Bad form can put a lot of stress on your joints and after a while, you’ll start wondering why it hurts and why training isn’t fun anymore.
Don’t let overuse injuries creep up on you, since they can prove to be a nasty setback.
- If it hurts, figure out why
If you have some sort of pain in your joints, don’t ignore it or pop a few pills and go with it.
Whether it’s pain from training, overuse, or simply from everyday life, make sure you are getting enough flexibility and mobility work done.
If the pain is really strong, then don’t be afraid and go get yourself checked out by a doctor.
- Wary your workout routine
High impact cardio, such as running, can put a lot of stress on your joints.
Taking some time off from running and trying out different activities such as swimming, or going for a walk would be a good idea, since you’ll give your joints some time to rest.
If there’s one thing you can do to keep your joints flexible and pain free, is to keep moving.
Take your time, warm up properly, practice keeping good form on your exercises, get strong and listen to what your body is telling you so that you can enjoy moving better and feeling better for a longer.
Happy living,
Razvan
Article written by Razvan Dan Ene, MD. Razvan writes at Strength Therapy, where he helps people develop a healthy mind and body with a step by step approach. When you feel ready to take action, get his free special report.
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