Joint Health

How to Improve Joint Health?

Major joints in the body like the knees, elbows, wrists, and ankles are bending so many times throughout the days and over the years they can degenerate and be less readily flexible and possibly painful too. Often this is because the cartilage that cushions the different bones of the joint wears away with use and age. This is the case with osteoarthritis, and a traumatic injury to a joint can damage it permanently and cause joint pain and stiffness in a person even if they are a relatively young age.

The question then becomes how to improve joint health if a person is having problems with any of those areas of their body. It can be a very pressing need if the joints that are giving them grief are ones that need to bear weight like the knees and ankles. Physical therapy is going to be just as important as the use of joint health supplements if a person is to enjoy better joint health with less pain and immobility.

What is Good for Joint Health?

The best way to maintain joint health is to have your joints regularly in use while not exerting yourself too much with them or making them exceed their natural range of motion. People who lead more sedentary lifestyles have greater incidence of osteoarthritis and poor joint health as they get older. Being at a healthy body weight is very beneficial for maintaining good joint health with your knees, hips and ankles. Stretching before any type of strenuous physical activity is also good for your joints.

Building muscle is also a common piece of advice doctors will give patients who are having problems with their joints. Improving muscle mass and strength around joints can help them function better and be more resistant to overexertion or injury. Lastly, having good posture can improve joint health and function all over the body and proper hydration will also qualify for what is good for joint health. Water is needed for the proper consistency of synovial fluid found in knee joints.

Joint Health Supplements

The way most people with joint pain and stiffness will address the problem is with medications like Celebrex or Arava as prescribed by their doctor. For people with more moderate joint pain an OTC medication like Glucosamine Sulfate or Chondroitin Sulfate may be all that’s needed for joint pain and stiffness relief. Other natural joint supplements will be ones that contain turmeric and curcumin or other herbs that are known to suppress inflammation in the body. Taking supplementary calcium or Vitamin D may also help to improve a person’s joints.

Foods for Joint Health

It is also possible to eat your way towards better joint health, but for the most part it will require people to move away from the Standard American Diet in a lot of ways if they want to reduce joint pain via diet. Aim to get plenty of foods that are high in Vitamin D, Vitamin C, and calcium. The Omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish like salmon and mackerel also promote better joint health, and taking a fish oil supplement can provide you with these same benefits if eating fresh fish regularly is not possible for you.

Drinking green tea or adding green tea powder into mixes for dishes can also reduce inflammation in joints, and garlic and ginger can also be added to give you the same gains. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli are also among foods for joint health, and eating nuts and beans that are high in protein and healthy fats is also conducive to helping joints stay soft, flexible, and pain-free. Choose brown rice over white rice whenever possible too.