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Keeping Your Joints Supple and Healthy
7 Top Tips!
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About 350 million people around the world suffer from arthritis. This condition results in painful swelling of the joints which can make many day-to-day activities difficult. Protecting your joints can prevent you from getting such a condition.
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If you already have the early onset of arthritis, many of the measures described below may also alleviate the pain of arthritis and even possibly help to reverse symptoms.
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Below are the 7 Top Ways for keeping your joints supple and healthy:
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1. Stay active
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Sitting around for long periods can have a detrimental effect on your joints. This could include sitting crouched over an office desk all day, driving a vehicle for a living or even just watching TV a lot in your spare time.
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Staying sedentary for long periods stiffens joints in the knees, neck, hips and back. You can prevent this stiffness by taking the time every so often to walk around and stretch out your limbs.
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If you drive for a living, this could involve pulling over every couple hours and taking a walk around. For office workers, consider specific desk exercises (or deskercises) as you work. Meanwhile, there are plenty of ways to stay active and still catch up on the latest TV series – why not buy an exercise bike and pedal whilst you have a TV marathon?
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If you already have joint problems, you should also keep up the physical activity. Doctors once recommended staying in bed if you had a bad back, but this has proven to make such problems worse.
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Similarly, whilst you should try to rest an inflamed joint, you shouldn’t give up using it altogether. Your doctor will be able to advise you on the appropriate physical exercise to take.
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Stay active and stay motivated! This will help in keeping your joints supple and healthy.
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2. Watch your step
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Not looking after your feet can cause problems for the joints in your ankles, knees, hips and even your back. High heels are one the biggest causes of joint problems in women.
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If you regularly wear raised shoes, try opting for flats more often. Save heels for special occasions and you won’t do any lasting damage.
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If you regularly go jogging, you should also consider your footwear. Specialist running shoes are designed to prevent pressure on the joints. Where you run is also important. Running over cobbles or a sandy beach or rough terrain can lead to sprains and strains more easily. Tarmac is far easier on your joints.
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Many people with active jobs that require them to constantly be on their feet can also benefit from wearing comfortable footwear.
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3. Take a stretch
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Regularly taking time to stretch out all your joints can prevent inflammation from setting in.
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Various exercises are great for keeping your joints flexed such as Yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi. Companies such as Tai Chi Productions operate worldwide and can offer training routines for those with already bad joints.
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With all form of exercises, you should always stretch before and after, both to stop your joint and muscles getting damaged.
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Taking the time to stretch during inactive periods can also stop joints from seizing up.
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4. Feed your joints
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Pigs Trotters in Balsamic Vinegar
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Many foods are great at fighting inflammation. These can stop our joints from swelling up and reduce inflammation in joints that are already damaged. Here are 15 foods which can help relieve joint pain.
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Omega-3 is one of the main nutrients to look out for. This is most commonly found in oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and tuna.
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Walnuts and pumpkin seeds are also particularly high in omega-3. If none of these foods take your fancy, supplements such as cod liver oil could be the answer.
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For people who eat meat, collagen found in animal cartilage is also another great remedy. This can be found in pigs’ trotters and tail.
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Your joints can also benefit from many vitamins found in leafy greens, berries and apples. These vitamins also prevent inflammation and can also be found in supplements.
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For those who already have joint problems there are diets as provided by Arthritis Care https://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/ that could be worth looking into.
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5. Protect yourself against repetitive strain
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Repetitive strain injuries are caused by doing the same activity over and over again, leading to overexertion of a particular body part. There are many common repetitive strain injuries involving joints such as tennis elbow and carpal tunnel syndrome.
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Elastic supports and pads are known to be able to help combat these strains and help prevent them (for example, elbow pads for tennis players).
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If you’ve already got an RSI, you should see your doctor for medication and try to limit the activity that caused it. Physiotherapy and other treatments may be recommended to relieve the pain.
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6. Feel the heat
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Heat is good for helping to relax joints. Those with joint problems will often be instructed to have a hot bath to help relieve inflammation. There are also various heat wraps and types of heat treatment that can help reduce pain.
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Cold treatments may be used to treat those with fresh joint injuries, but they generally have negative effects on people with more permanent joint problems. In fact, the cold weather has been linked as a contributing cause of joint problems.
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Wrapping up warm in the cold could stop joints from flaring up by making fluid in the joints less solid.
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7. Kick your bad habits
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A few bad habits can cause joint problems and aggravate pre-existing arthritis symptoms.
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The biggest is over-eating, which can cause excess weight gain and greater strain on the joints. Stress can also lead to emotional eating! Shedding the pounds if you are overweight can reduce inflammation if you already have joint problems. You should aim to cut out foods that are high in salt and sugar as these foods in particular can increase inflammation.
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Smoking is also proven to be bad for the joints. Nicotine in cigarettes slows the production of bone-forming cells. Smoking also reduces the flow of blood to many parts of the body including the bones. This can stop important nutrients such as calcium and vitamins getting to the joints.
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- Treating Shoulder Pain ~ Chiropractic Pain Management & Natural Solutions
, - How to Obtain Back Pain Relief ~ 6 Best Essential Oils Which Help
. - Aches and Joint Pain in The Elderly: 5 Types & Sources of Pain, 10 Pain-Relief Remedies
. - Eradicate Joint Pain ~ 5 Success Steps You Can Take
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