joint-related stories
What to do when sports hurt
My son plays soccer and during last Saturday's game, he was shooting a goal and took a hard kick from the goalie right in the thigh. He was rolling on the ground in pain for a little while but managed to walk off the field. (And I managed to keep myself firmly planted in my chair. I'm sure other moms can understand how hard it is to do that!) It wasn't long before my son was back on the field, though. He was visibly limping and just forcing himself through the pain, so I was a bit worried. While I was proud of the sportsmanship he was showing, pain is your body's way of telling you something is wrong -- and he was clearly ignoring that. Later that day, my son developed a nasty bruise -- but that was the full extent of the injury. So, other than being a bit sore and using an ice pack for a while, he was fine.
Whether you play sports, run, bike, or even just walk around your neighborhood, injuries can happen when you least expect it. While mild muscle discomfort is expected with exercise, it's usually not a good idea to keep working out while experiencing pain. Swollen muscles, joint irritation, numbness ... these are all signs that your body has had a bit too much. So, what do you do if pain puts you on the sidelines?
Have knee pain? Try lightening their load
There is something simple you can do to ease osteoarthritis if you already have it, and reduce your risk if you don't.A recent study shows that nearly two in three obese people will develop osteoarthritis. It's a painful, degenerative condition and can result in reduced mobility, knee replacement surgery, even disability. Losing weight can be the single most important thing you do for your knees -- every pound you lose reduces four pounds of pressure on your knees.
Exercise is also vital. If your joints are sore, try swimming or water walking. Other low impact activities such as walking may also be helpful. You can also ask your doctor for advice on appropriate physical activity.
Jumpstart Your Fitness: By having happier joints
Last week, the Jumpstart Your Fitness post was about how we all take advantage of our feet, using and abusing them and neglecting to take very good care of them until they start screaming out in pain or discomfort. Well unfortunately the same can be said for the way we treat our joints. Knees, hips, ankles ... they all do their jobs on a daily basis, usually quietly and without complaint, but also without a second thought or moment of consideration from the people to whom they belong. Men and women are quick to work on health routines for strengthening muscles and protecting skin, but what about strengthening and protecting your joints? Nothing slows (or halts altogether) a workout routine faster than knee pain, hip pain, shoulder pain, etc.So follow these guidelines for having healthier joints, starting today:
Joint-stabilizing moves from Women's Health Magazine
Healthy Aging, Healthy Habits, Womens Health, Celebrities and Entertainment, Healthy Products and Reviews, Cellulite, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Reviews & Products, Men's Health
Prevent muscle mutiny with these four feel-good moves from the April issue of Women's Health, on newsstands now! Instead of letting a great workout leave you feeling miserable, use some of these suggested exercises to prevent muscle imbalances in your: back, knees, neck, and shoulders.
Ball Squat with tubing
Pain-prone area: Fronts and sides of the knees
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and wrap resistance tubing around your knees so there's no slack in the band. Place a stability ball between the middle of your back and a wall, but put only enough pressure on it to keep the ball from falling. Squat down as if sitting on a chair, pushing out against the tubing to keep your knees from caving inward. Press back up to start. Do two sets of 12 reps, resting for 30 to 60 seconds between sets.
Joint Pain: When to see your MD
Womens Health, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Men's Health
On its own, joint pain isn't usually something that warrants a visit to the doctor's office. It's more of a nuisance--something to make note of and mention the next time you go in for a physical. But sometimes, joint pain can be a sign of something more serious, as Everyday Health points out. When does joint pain warrant medical attention? When ...
- ... its accompanied by a fever, rash, fatigue, headache, or weight loss
- ... its a result of joint trauma or injury
- ... the pain is severe
- ... there are neurological symptoms too, like numbness in the hands or pain in the neck or back.
One joint equals about 20 cigarettes
Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment
During high school, I remember hearing kids say they would rather smoke marijuana than cigarettes because they considered pot "more natural." Apparently they thought a Native American peace pipe was comparable to a bong. At any rate, anyone smoking pot under this notion is in for a surprise. New studies indicate that smoking marijuana is much worse.In fact, someone would have to smoke twenty cigarettes to get the equivalent damage that a single joint would cause. A team of researchers found out that individuals who smoke cannabis have five times the amount of carbon monoxide in their blood compared to those lighting up tobacco!
Not only that, but the concentration of carcinogens is significantly greater in weed as well. Because of this, research indicates marijuana damages the airways more than traditional cigarettes. These may come across as a bunch of reasons to ditch smoking weed as a deviant practice, but what about patients using medicinal marijuana? As we all know, pot in a controlled medical application sparks a lot of conversation. However, given these reasons, doctors may need to reconsider this treatment.
Treating knee pain
Healthy Habits, Diet & Weight Loss
Do you suffer from knee problems? I do, and it's kept me from being an avid runner, despite my best attempts to just 'get over it.' But knee pain doesn't have to be a way of life; here are some ways to treat it, according to Everyday Health:
- Low-impact exercises can strengthen the knee muscles without pain. For instance? Try swimming, cycling or working out on the elliptical trainer.
- Pain reducing and anti-inflammatory meds can be injected directly into the joint
- If it's arthritis, anti-rheumatic drugs can make a difference.
Top 10 Omega 3 food sources
Healthy Habits, Organic, Diet & Weight Loss, Alternative & Green Health, Nutrition & Supplements
Omega-3s have the medically proven ability to reduce the amount of fat in your blood and help lower triglycerides. Triglycerides are a huge risk factor in heart attacks. Not only are they good for the heart but they help with depression, type 2 diabetes, fatigue, dry and itchy skin, brittle hair and nails, joint pain and other inflammation in the body, and the inability to concentrate. Here are some top 10 food sources for Omega-3s. Start a healthy habit by adding some of these items to your daily diet and remember to buy organic when available.Flax Seeds
Dried Ground Cloves
Walnuts
Salmon, Halibut, Cod
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Dried Ground Oregano
Mustard Seeds
Brussel Sprouts
Cooked Soybeans
Fighting arthritis
1 out of every 5 people suffer from arthritis in some form, and that number is so high (it works out to 46 million Americans) in part because the term "arthritis" technically includes any number of diseases and conditions that cause pain, swelling, and inflammation of joints and other body parts. When it comes to reducing your arthritis symptoms treating the inflammation is key, as that's what really causes much of the discomfort and swelling. As many as half of Americans have given up on trying to beat the pain and have resigned themselves to living with it miserably, but there are things you can do to minimize symptoms that have good results for most people:- Exercise and lose weight. Less weight equals less stress on joints.
- Adjust your diet to include plenty of veggies, fruits, and whole grains. Limit sugar, fat, and salt.
- Get enough rest. Joints will be at their best when you've got a good daily balance between rest and exercise.
- Be wary of medications. While some can be very helpful, others only mask symptoms and don't attack the true root of the problem, the inflammation.
- Try taking some natural anti-inflammatory supplements, after speaking with your doctor of course.
Prevent post-workout pains
Exercise feels great while you're doing it, but what about afterwards? For some that's when the sore muscles, stiff joints, and fatigue set in. It really shouldn't be like that, but thankfully if it is there are some things you can do to overcome negative post-workout after-effects. For example, caffeine can help reduce muscle soreness, wearing bright colors can give you more energy, and drinking cherry juice can cut back inflammation. Interested in more details? There's three pages of suggestions in the article, with something for every fitness ailment.
To crack, or not to crack... (your knuckles)
I used to have a friend that cracked her knuckles all the time, and everybody would always tell her that she was basically giving herself arthritis. I never knew if that was right or not, but it sounds like it probably wasn't. According to this article the act of cracking your knuckles is simply releasing pressure and carbon dioxide (in the form of a gas bubble) from the fluid in between the joints. The gas bubble eventually re-dissolves into the joint fluid, and the person cracks their knuckles all over again. No harm done.Although it may not cause arthritis, I am skeptical that it's really completely harmless. Popping air bubbles around inside joints is not a natural process, so it seems likely that after an entire lifetime of cracking knuckles there would be some kind of side effect?
Preventing knee injuries: 4 safe exercises to try
When it comes to our joints, knees are strangely strong and weak at the same time, but they are absolutely vital to our mobility and general fitness. Without healthy knees physical activity becomes a next to impossible challenge.So protecting the knee joints and preventing injury is a top priority, especially if you're just getting started with new fitness goals. There's nothing worse than getting hurt and having to stop right when you're starting to get the hang of things and are developing new healthy habits -- we all know how hard it is to get that energy and motivation back again!
There are two components, according to this article, when it comes to protecting your knees against injury: losing weight (to decrease their workload) and building strength in the muscles that surround and support the knee joint. The losing weight part is more complicated (but you're on the right track by visiting That's Fit!) than strengthening the joint, which is as simple as doing some regular exercises. Try these 4 knee-safe moves: knee squat, lying double leg curl, lying leg adduction, and standing calf raise.
Jumpstart Your Fitness: Get fit faster by avoiding injuries
Nothing will slow up your fitness progress like getting hurt. Depending on the injury, you might have to pass on your workout for just one day, or possibly for several months. Then, if you're anything like me, it's so hard to get motivated again -- it feels like you're back to starting from square one. So the best thing is to do whatever you can to avoid that horrible fitness trap altogether by paying attention to your body and taking steps to avoid workout related injuries.
