Your bones hang out in a lot of joints. Knee joints. Hip joints. The joints in your fingers and the joints in your toes.
Wherever bones meet,
there is also cartilage, a rubbery, protective layer that ensures your joints
bend smoothly and painlessly. But even cartilage cannot do this tremendous job
alone. A thin membrane called the “synovium” provides fluid that lubricates the
moving parts of the joint. When the cartilage wears out of the synovium becomes
inflamed, the result is generally a case of “osteoarthritis” or “rheumatoid
arthritis.”
In osteoarthritis, the
cartilage can be eroded so much that bone does rub on bone. This type of
arthritis develops gradually over a lifetime as a simple result of the wear and
tear placed on your joints over the years. Very few people escape some degree
of osteoarthritis, though the severity varies a great deal.
If you are over the age
of 50, you are likely to have at least one joint affected by osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis affects men and women equally and is by far the most common type
of arthritis, with almost 16 million Americans on the list.
In rheumatoid arthritis,
damage to the synovium is at the source of trouble. Doctors and researchers are
not sure what causes it, but most think that rheumatoid arthritis is a disease
in which the immune system attacks certain tissues in the body, including those
that connect the joints and the synovium.
Rheumatoid arthritis
begins with swollen, red, stiff, and painful joints, but it may progress until
scar tissue forms in the joint or, in extreme cases until the bones fuse.
Almost 75% of the 2 million people with rheumatoid arthritis in the United
States are women. The disease can hit as early as the teen years.
Exercising Your
Prevention Options
Investing a little time
in developing a good weight-bearing low-impact exercise and stretching plan can
add up to great results when it comes to staving off arthritis pain. Strong
muscles help protect the joints from wear and tear, and the movement keeps
joints flexible.
That is why the quest
for fitness is at hand, even if you are 50 years and over. However, most
Americans over 50 are still right where they always were sitting back and
watching others jog by. Most of them contend that that is just for people who
have been athletic all their life, or some say exercise is for young people and
engaging in exercise will do them more harm than good.
There are still some
that insist on excusing their selves in exercise routines because they do not
just have time or they have less energy than ever before. These are all lame
excuses. Hence, it is time to start to get rid of those pains. Start
exercising.
Consequently, preventing
arthritis is not an exact science, but physicians have discovered a few ways to
lower your risk. Here is how:
1. Do not weight around
The single most
important measure anyone can take to prevent osteoarthritis of the knee is to
lose weight if they are overweight. Extra weight puts extra stress on your
knees. If you are 10 pounds overweight, for example, you put 60 pounds per
square inch of extra pressure on your knees every time you take a step. That
extra pressure can slowly but surely erode the cartilage in your knees, leading
to arthritis.
A study has supported
the theory that weight loss weighs in on the side of prevention. In the study,
overweight women who lost 11 pounds or more over 10 years decreased their risk
of developing osteoarthritis of the knee by 50%.
2. Stretch those muscles
Any kind of stretching
is good as long as you do not bounce, which can lead to a muscle pull. This is
according to some of the professors of clinical medicine in New York City.
Try to hold a slow,
steady stretch for 15 to 20 seconds, then relax and repeat. It is best to flex
up by stretching before any exercise, especially running and walking. But it is
also a good idea to stretch each day. Ask your doctor to teach you stretches
that focus on potential arthritis trouble spots, such as the knees or the lower
back.
3. Walking is always the
best exercise
Take a good long walk at
least three times a week or participate in a step-aerobics or low-impact
exercise routine maximum results. There is no proof that running is bad for the
joints, but remember, it may aggravate an injury if you already have one. Just
remember to check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program.
The bottom line is that
of all the healthful habits, exercise is the most important. This is because
people are designed to be active. Hence, people need to exercise to stay
healthy and keep those joints free from wear and tear.
Just keep in mind that
the unexercised body, even if free from the symptoms of illness or problems
like arthritis, is not at its full potential. Hence, start exercising right
now!