Give Your Joints a Break!
By Donna Stark
With the exception of high school health class, have you ever really sat down to think about how hard your body, and more specifically, your joints work? Just think about it. For every bend, twist, stretch, or turn you make, your body’s muscles, ligaments, and tendons are hard at work, helping you perform all the activities you need to in order to live. The joints in your body allow you to do things such as stand, walk, talk, play, eat, work, sleep, shower, and dress. That’s thousands of movements every day, all of which are dependent on joints that function properly.
Be Easy on Your Joints
It's important to focus on the health of your joints and to maintain your range of motion before any damage sets in, but if you already have some arthritis, don’t worry! You can still improve your joint health by making healthy lifestyle choices and seeing your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic regularly. Let’s take a look.
- Lose or maintain your weight - Excess weight puts added stress on your weight-bearing joints which can increase wear and tear over time and your risk of arthritis. Studies show that for every pound you lose, four pounds of pressure is taken off of your joints. That’s pretty significant, so be mindful of how much weight your body is carrying and keep moving!
- Choose low-impact exercises - Low-impact exercises provide the same benefits that high-impact exercises do, but without the added stress on your joints. So choose swimming over running, or walking over stair climbing to lose weight, build strength, and maintain your range of motion.
- Include strength training - Strength training exercises are an important component to your workout routine, and should still be included even if you suffer from arthritis or joint damage because it helps to reduce pain and maintain range of motion. Just remember to use proper form to avoid any injuries.
- Be flexible - Low-impact exercises that will increase your flexibility and maintain your range of motion, such as yoga and Pilates, are great for optimal joint health too!
Listen to Your Body
Your body has a great way of communicating with you … it’s called pain … but seeing your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic regularly can help you avoid that. Chiropractic treatments can lessen your pain and slow down the degeneration process. It is a safe, effective, and natural approach to attaining pain relief and improving your overall joint health. Your local chiropractor will identify the cause of your pain and customize a treatment plan specific to your needs, all in the most non-invasive approach possible.
Understanding the thousands of movements that your body makes every day can be a daunting task, but it’s easy when you have your local chiropractor by your side. So head on in to The Joint Chiropractic today! It will be the best move you can make.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Portland, Ore.