How to improve joint Health to Reduce joint pain

If you are tired of waking up with aching bones and want to know how to improve joint health to reduce joint pain then you have come to the right place. Its not a coincidence that you get joint pain and muscle stiffness when you trade your clubbing days or High school or College athletic career for a desk job and sedentary lifestyle. If you are ready to improve your joint health and overcome joint pain once and for all, then continue reading to learn  7 tips to improve joint health:

1. Stay hydrated

Dehydration can cause joint pain because of the lubricating effect it has on the joints. It’s estimated that 70 – 80% of your joint cartilage consists of water. According to the Carrell clinic, “chronic dehydration can result in loss of blood volume sparking of chain reaction resulting in overall functional decline and joint degeneration.” It’s important to make sure that you stay properly hydrated by drinking water. Drinking mainly juice or sports drinks won’t really do any good since they are highly concentrated in sugar so you may not be doing your body any good.

2. Including Jumping Exercises in Your Workouts

Believe it or not, osteoarthritis patients benefit from jumping exercises. In fact, studies show that progressive high-impact training improved the patellar cartilage quality of the postmenopausal women who may be at risk of osteoporosis (bone loss) as well as at risk of osteoarthritis. This was found out in the study carry out in the Department of Health Sciences at University of Jyväskylä, Finland.

Women with mild knee osteoarthritis who did impact movements (like a series of jumps on and off a step) three times a week experienced a 7% increase in knee cartilage quality after a year.  Your bones and joints adapt and strengthen when they encounter ground reaction forces, so jumping actually helps. Its things like depth jumps, or not knowing how to properly do jumping exercises is where the issues occurs. This is one of the reasons why The STEW Project offers online fitness programs to individuals who are looking to recover from joint pain and increase their overall strength and flexibility in the process.

3. Eat Collagen Rich Foods

The decrease in collagen production starts around age 25 which means that collagen and elastin fibers become thinner, weaker and looser. If you suffer from high stress then the decline happens at a faster pace. Making sure that you eat collagen rich foods such as bone broth, gelatin, sardines, berries, broccoli as well as collagen supplements can ensure that your body keeps an adequate amount of collagen to reduce your body’s aging process. 

4. Incorporating stretching and mobility exercises

Joints stay healthy when you keep moving! stretching and mobility exercises ensures your joints maintain proper range of motion. They also make sure that your joints stay well lubricated which helps prevent stiffness.

5. Correcting Muscular & Postural Imbalances

Most of people’s joint pain comes from imbalances that go unchecked for long periods of time. You can skip the long term pain by correcting those imbalances before they get too bad.

It has been estimated that almost 50% of the population will experience knee pain as they age that negatively affects one’s quality of life and ability to engage in a program of regular exercise (Kim, et al., 2011). Knee pain has become so prevalent that the number of total knee replacement surgeries has more than doubled in the last 10 years (Weisnstein, et al., 2013).

With statistics like these, I would assume that people would take preventative measures to ensure that they won’t have to become another pain filled statistic. But with our high stress lifestyle, our health is often times not at the top of our priority list.

6. Listening to Your Body and Not Ignoring Joint Pain

Your body is in pain for a reason! Listen to it and give it rest if you strain yourself. If you are experiencing joint pain, please don’t ignore it. If you are exercising and experience any type of sharp joint pain, please stop that exercise immediately. Pushing through the pain will only exacerbate your injury.

I have seen all too often how people will go to inexperienced trainers who would give them advanced exercises without the proper technique which would lead to further injuries… don’t fall into this trap.

7. Doing cardio

Cardio helps blood to circulate to your joints and ensures the joints stay healthy, oxygenated and nourished. Your joints can’t go to the grocery store when its low on minerals and nutrients. Your blood acts as UberEats and supplies it with whatever you need.

At the end of the day, you don’t have to live with joint pain. The STEW Project offers corrective exercise programs as well as research backed supplements from Designs for Health to overcome joint pain so you can live your best life. If you’re interested then let me know. We have a variety of services to help you reach your goals. I hope this helps.