Joint Effort: How to Keep Your Body Moving Smoothly This Summer and Beyond
With spring in full swing and summer on the way, you may find yourself taking part in seasonal activities, and your joints will likely play a big role.
By taking some important steps, you can keep your joints healthy for as long as possible and reduce the chance of developing chronic illnesses caused by a sedentary lifestyle.
“Joints aid in our body’s movement,” said Dustin Richter, MD, a specialist in orthopaedic sports medicine at The University of New Mexico Hospital. “A joint connects two or more bones. So, the elbow joint connects your forearm to the upper arm, the knee joint connects the thigh to the leg. Depending on the joint, it can act as a hinge or a ball-and-socket, where they allow a wide range of motion and provide flexibility and support during the body’s movement.”
Continuing to stay active, continuing to move helps lubricate the joints and can help prevent some of those chronic issues that we see too frequently when people just stop moving and are sedentary.
–Dustin Richter, MD, Specialist in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine at The University of New Mexico Hospital
Richter offers several tips to help you protect your joints and keep them moving, not only this summer but throughout the rest of your life.
9 Tips for Healthier Joints from Dr. Richter:
- Maintain a healthy body weight
Losing 10 pounds is the equivalent of taking 40 pounds off your joints, so even a small amount of weight loss can be beneficial to joint health. In addition, having a healthy body weight can make it more likely that a joint replacement will be successful, if needed in the future. Visiting a primary care provider, nutritionist or dietitian can help someone looking to start losing weight.
- Stay active
Keep moving for better joint health. People in sedentary jobs, such as office workers, can benefit from doing exercises such as squats during the workday, taking the stairs, going for walks, parking farther away from the building to get more steps in and making healthy choices at lunchtime.
- Eat a nutritious diet
Closely tied to maintaining a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet will have a positive impact on your joints. This could include eating more protein, fruits and vegetables, not snacking after dinner and limiting alcohol intake. Nutrients such as calcium, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids can improve bone density, support cartilage health and reduce inflammation.
Joints in Action: running. Photo: Tamara Lopez
- Ease into activity
If you’re getting back to a higher level of activity after a period of inactivity, gradually increase your movement. For example, rather than jump into a three-to-five mile run right away, jog for five or ten minutes, walk and then jog some more. Then take a day or two to recover.
- Stay hydrated
Proper hydration will help protect your body and help you avoid further injury to muscle and other tissues. Hydration also keeps your body’s cells working efficiently, which will protect the cartilage around the bone in your joints.
- Get enough rest
Sleep-deprivation can reduce your alertness and awareness, meaning you may not be able to react in time to prevent an injury. Sleep also helps your body recover from activity and injury. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults get at least seven hours of sleep per night (guidelines vary by age).
- Use the buddy system
If you venture into any of New Mexico’s mountain ranges or parks for activities such as hiking, bouldering or mountain biking, travel with a friend or small group so that you can keep an eye on each other and tend to any injuries that might occur.
Joints in Action: riding a bicycle. Photo: Tamara Lopez
- Build muscle
Strength training can help you lose weight, protect your joints and contribute to overall bodily stability, especially as you age.
- Allow time for recovery
Allow your body to recover when you need it, especially after doing strenuous activities that you aren’t used to. Recovery time can vary from person to person and depends on how much activity they are used to doing.
Not taking care of your joints can have consequences, Richter said.
“Probably the number one consequence is decreased mobility,” he said. “So, you can’t do the things that you enjoy. You’ll have pain. You’ll have inflammation, and then, that’s a vicious cycle where you become more sedentary and run a higher risk of developing chronic conditions. Or, if the joint wears out and you develop arthritis, the number of patients right now that need joint replacements is skyrocketing, and it’s predicted to continue to increase substantially over the next decade.”
An X-ray image of a high-school soccer player with a history of right-knee ACL reconstruction. Normal left-knee X-ray. Image: University of New Mexico Hospitals
An X-ray image of a right-hip replacement. Image: University of New Mexico Hospitals
An X-ray image of bilateral knee arthritis. Image: University of New Mexico Hospitals
Richter attributes the rise in joint replacements to an aging Baby Boomer population in the U.S., combined with increasing rates of obesity and more people’s desire to maintain an active lifestyle.
“As the obesity epidemic persists and patients are living longer, a lot of people have joint issues and are at a point where they need a joint-replacement surgery,” he said. “A lot of patients, thankfully, do very well with joint replacements.”
Joints in Action: riding a scooter. Photo: Tamara Lopez
Even with proper care, and due to factors such as genetics, joints can be affected over time by arthritis, Richter said.
For treating arthritis, as the saying goes in orthopaedic circles, “Motion is joint lotion,” Richter said.
And, simply as people age, their joints become less mobile and less able to handle force, he said.
“Continuing to stay active, continuing to move helps lubricate the joints and can help prevent some of those chronic issues that we see too frequently when people just stop moving and are sedentary,” he said.
While genetics and other factors may ultimately decide the fate of many people’s joints, taking measures such as maintaining a healthy body weight, staying active and eating a healthy diet will go a long way, Richter said.
“That gives you the best chance to live a happy, productive life and to hopefully get the most out of your joints,” he said.
Banner Photo–Joints in Action: running. Photo: Tamara Lopez
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