Healthy joints mean an active lifestyle. When you keep moving, it ensures mental and physical overall well-being. That is why keeping joints strong and fit must be everyone’s top priority.
Get the best tips on keeping your joints healthy and fit below. Also, learn about treatment options after a joint injury with other relevant information.
Tips for Healthy Joints
Keep joint issues at bay and go on living an active life. Check out the following effective tips.
Exercise regularly. It helps strengthen joints. Strong joints are less prone to injuries. Consult a certified instructor to incorporate a healthy exercise routine into your life.
Don’t exercise without the supervision of an instructor as it can lead to strains and sprains; you might end up over-exercising.
Ensure a healthy diet. Don’t forget to add enough calcium, protein and vitamin D to your diet. Calcium and vitamin D make bones strong while protein helps build muscle strength.
Always prefer healthy, fresh and nutrition-rich meals over junk foods.
Better sleep. If you are exercising but not getting enough sleep, it will cause more harm than good. So, getting adequate sleep every night is also important. Over time, sleep deficiency leads to various joint problems.
Maintain good posture. If you do a desk job for 8-9 hours, it is crucial to sit in the right posture. Prolonged sitting in the wrong posture strains back muscles and results in spinal pain. It puts adverse impacts on the lower back.
So, learn about good posture in detail and then maintain the right sitting posture throughout the day. If you have chronic back pain, consult an orthopedic doctor first to rule out underlying conditions.
Quit a sedentary lifestyle. Besides exercise, being active throughout the day is also important. Walk as much as possible. If you have a desk job 9-6 or 10-7, ensure frequent walking breaks during prolonged sitting.
Quit smoking and alcoholism. One or two drinks occasionally don’t have any side effects at all. But, if you drink too frequently, you will have to suffer the consequences. It will impact your overall health adversely.
Quit alcohol abuse or if you need help, talk to a substance addiction specialist.
Furthermore, don’t smoke as well. If you are a chain smoker or smoke too frequently, you have got to quit this habit. Both too much alcohol and smoking impact joint health adversely.
Ensure safety measures. This is particularly helpful for athletes. Safety measures during sports or other potentially dangerous activities help prevent joint damage. Therefore, don’t forget to wear protective gear and follow safety points.
Reduce weight. Obesity puts too much stress on the hip and the knee. Both, the hip and the knee are the weight-bearing joints as they experience the weight of the entire body when you are standing, walking or climbing stairs.
Thus, reduce weight so your joints like the knee and the hip can be active for longer.
Lift heavy weights correctly. If you have to lift heavy objects, take care of your spine. Don’t bend your back forwards while lifting heavy objects. Instead, use leg muscles to lift weights while keeping the spine straight.
Rule out osteoporosis early. If you are facing chronic fatigue regularly, it might be due to osteoporosis. It is the condition of weak and fragile bones. Such a condition leads to fractures easily if left untreated.
Consult an orthopedic doctor to get your tests done and know if you have this condition.
Treatment After A Joint Injury
The following are the treatment options after an injury.
First Aid: The most effective first aid treatment is R.I.C.E. Rest. Apply ice packs to the injured area. Use a compression bandage to wrap around the joint. And, finally, if the injury is to the knee, put it on some height while lying on your back, which is called the technique of elevation.
This first-aid technique helps with post-injury swelling, pain and discomfort. However, if the pain persists, don’t forget to consult a joint specialist (or an orthopedist). Sometimes, a joint injury is too serious to heal itself through R.I.C.E.
Thus, it needs the medical attention of a joint specialist.
Pain Medicines: Doctors recommend painkillers to relieve pain, swelling and inflammation.
Therapies: A variety of therapies can also be used to treat joint injuries. Physiotherapy, Stem Cell Therapy, PRP Therapy, etc., are major examples of such therapies. Physiotherapy attempts to promote healing with the help of exercise.
Stem cell therapy and PRP therapy are biologics—medicines made out of a patient’s tissues.
Surgery: If a joint injury is severe, treatment requires surgery. There are two types of joint surgeries, namely arthroscopy and open surgery.
When Does A Joint Injury Require Surgery?
Under the following circumstances, surgery becomes unavoidable.
- Severe Fracture
- Recurrent Dislocations
- Grade 2 and 3 Ligament Injuries
- Severe Meniscal Tears
- Too Much Cartilage Damage
A severe fracture needs internal fixtures for treatment. Thus, it cannot be treated without surgery.
Recurrent dislocations often occur in the shoulder. The shoulder ball repeatedly comes out of its place from the socket. It usually happens due to the loosening or damage of the rotator cuff or the group of muscles and tendons around the shoulder.
Here, a surgeon uses arthroscopy to tighten or repair the impacted muscles or tendons.
If a ligament has broken into two dues to an injury, it needs surgery. Without a surgical procedure, a completely torn ligament cannot heal itself back into one like before.
Furthermore, if the knee meniscus has been injured and it can become worse over time, a surgeon can use arthroscopy to stitch the tear and fix the damage.
Injuries can also damage cartilage. Cartilage is a soft-tissue cover over a bone end. To promote healing and growth of the damaged cartilage, a surgeon can perform articular cartilage restoration.
This procedure is also performed through a minimally invasive procedure or arthroscopy.
To book your consultation with a joint surgery specialist, go to the link: the best orthopedic surgeon in India.
Diagnosis
Doctors diagnose joint conditions after an injury with the help of the following tests.
- X-ray
- MRI
- CT scan
Conclusion
Exercise, a balanced diet, enough sleep, an active lifestyle and the absence of substance abuse are all crucial factors for healthy joints. However, don’t forget that you need to exercise in moderation. Don’t over-exercise and strain yourself.
However, for chronic joint pain, stop deciding and selecting treatment on your own. Quit taking painkillers regularly. Consult an orthopedic doctor on time before the situation gets worse.
Do you have chronic pain in the hip? You might require hip replacement surgery! To consult the best replacement surgeon, visit the following link: best hip replacement surgeon in India.