A Beginners Guide to Joint Health

We know that we have joints, and we know that they help us move, but many of us don't pay as much attention to them as we should. A recent survey found that nearly seven in 10 Americans over age 34 experience occasional joint stiffness, and 62% of Gen Xers--now in their late 30s and 40s--are concerned about their joints. So what can be done to build better joint health?

What Joint Do For You?

How about we begin with the fundamentals. A joint is the place two or more bones are conjoined together, most regularly with ligament. Furthermore, it's this sound ligament that helps us move; it permits unresolved issues more than each other and keeps bones from rubbing against each other.

Solid, adaptable joints are key for practically every day by day action. Whether you're hurling a baseball, lifting a glass of water, gesturing your head, remaining from a seat or playing with your youngsters, you rely on upon your joints. Basically, joints are the portal to driving sound, dynamic ways of life. This is the reason it's basic we pay consideration on joints and deal with them, beginning ahead of schedule in life.

While there are sure joints we're all the more usually mindful of, for example, the knees, and those found in the back, hands and neck. There are really 147 joints in the human body--and every one of them need consideration.

Why is Joint Health Important?

All too often, many of us take our joints for granted and don't pay attention to them until it's too late. Joints have a direct effect on our daily movements and activities, so it's important that we give them the proper attention and care they deserve.

I often draw the comparison to patients that, just as we promote healthy teeth and head off decay by brushing and flossing regularly, we can get ahead of joint health by properly nourishing, moving and stretching them regularly. Overall, joints are just as important as our heart and lungs--they help us function daily and keep us active as we age.

Not paying attention to our joints means gambling with our health and quality of life as we age. Joint health is that important.

We continuously put stress on our joints every day by carrying extra body weight, slugging around heavy backpacks, practicing poor posture and sitting improperly. One effective means for supporting joint health is to lower overall body weight, especially for those who are overweight or obese. Losing excess weight can ease the strain the additional body mass puts on your joints. In addition, many who maintain active lifestyles and fitness routines can pay more attention to the results of their workouts than they do to the way exercise

(particularly high-impact and repetitive movements) impacts their joints.

By taking action throughout our lives--starting as early as our 30s--we can help nourish and strengthen our joints to support them as we age.