Do your knees feel pain during running or climbing stairs? It should be a distress signal of your joints. It’s important to protect your joints from the beginning!
The “dangers” for joints
Joints are between two bones and help to reduce the friction. To avoid usury problems, bones are covered of a Cartilage’s stratum that protects and depreciates the collisions. With ages, there is a natural cartilage deterioration.
The main causes of joints strain are:
• The weight is one of the most important. An overweight person keeps more pressure on joints than a normal weight person.
• Some sports, like running, impose joints to excessive burden. Too much sport and a lack of warm-up exercises play a key role too.
• Sedentary lifestyle is the enemy of joints. Also poor posture in front of the computer may damage joints.
• Wearing wrong shoes, like heels, could cause trauma and knee pain.
How to protect joints
A healthy diet, rich in fruits, vegetables and fibers helps our body. It promotes the weight loss in order to “weight less” on joints. Nobles proteins and Vitamin C helps joints wellness. Nobles proteins are present in fish (in particular Salmon), milk and soy that substain muscle mass. Vitamin C, contained in Citrus fruits, contributes to create Collagen, useful for Cartilages functionality. Drinking one and a half litre of water a day. Water is useful to lubricate joints promoting them motility.
The best sports for joints
These are the best sports activities against joints disorders:
• A slow and obstacle-free walk
• The nordic walking is a version of walking that is performed with specially designed walking poles similar to ski poles.
• Swimming and other water activities, like water aerobics, improve the motor coordination and the flexibility (reducing the risk of falling in the elderly). In water the gravity is lower and also the joints’ stress.
• Yoga and Pilates are useful to correct the posture, the muscle resistance, the weight loss and the relax of mind.
A help from nature
If Cartilage narrows, taking Glucosamine and Chodroitin Sulphate could help. They are the most important components of Cartilage. Also Shark Cartilage helps. In acute phase, substances such as White willow and Feverfew are useful. White willow contains a substance that is converted in our body in salicylic acid. Also Boswellia and Spirea help the articular functionality and Uncaria mantains the articular flexibility. It can be used a gel with soothing effects for massages to increase joint mobility.