Arthritis - Prevention Isn't Often Spoken About.
It's unfortunate that we all tend to have the attitude "it will never happen to me". No one, during their life's journey, ever believes they will suffer from Arthritis. When it invades a person's joints it is usually unbelievable to the sufferer who thinks that only "old people" get Arthritis
That is why prevention is rarely spoken in the same sentence as Arthritis. Some of us are already practicing healthy lifestyles that reduce our risk of developing certain symptomatic forms of Arthritis.
Let's look at some obvious ways of helping in the prevention of Arthritis.
- Maintaining a healthy weight. This can help prevent you from developing Arthritis in your knees. Your knees, hips and the balls of your feet will feel the strain of too much weight. These are weight bearing areas and extra weight can cause joint damage. Being overweight can even warp the natural structure of the joint. If you want to reduce your risk simply losing ten pounds can go a long way. Once you've accomplished this and if you are still overweight you can continue to lose weight in order to reduce your risk even further. Ten pounds is a good, attainable goal to start with.
- Eating right and healthy is another sensible means of risk protection against Arthritis. Many people don't think of a well-balanced diet in relation to Arthritis prevention. It's equally important to ensure that you are receiving the recommended daily allowance of vitamins and minerals. Common sense right?
- Exercising regularly will help you maintain healthy muscle tone. By now we all know the benefits of a regular exercise routine but many of us have never thought about this in terms of Arthritis prevention. Sports like baseball, soccer, football and martial arts are high impact activities and are probably best to avoid if Arthritis prevention is your concern. Light activities like walking and recreational swimming can combat joint swelling and stiffness.
- Injury prevention is high on the list of Arthritis prevention solutions. Sometimes it just pays to get the advice of a personal trainer in order to learn how to perform activities properly thereby reducing the risk of harm to the body.
Practice other common sense approaches to Arthritis prevention as follows:
- If sitting or standing for long periods of time then regularly shift positions to distribute your body weight.
- Always warm up your muscles before exercising and always take time to cool down after.
- Practice good posture.
- Do light aerobics and practice endurance, strengthening and range of motion exercises regularly.
- Learn Yoga.
- Always wear safety equipment when advised.
- If you have a previous injury wear a protective brace or splint.
- Practice proper resting after strenuous activity. Make sure to give your body a recovery day between sessions.
- Invest in regular massages.
It can be said that the only 'proven cure" for Arthritis is surgical joint replacement, however, much can be done at home and in your day to day life activities to help you prevent this painful disease.
