Keeping Joints Healthy and Avoiding Injury
Avoiding joint injuries is key to long-term joint and hip
health, since each injury to your hips, large or small, can contribute to
chronic joint problems later in life. Hip problems are among the most common
causes of disability in adults, so keeping those hard-working joints in good
shape is essential to maintaining an active and enjoyable lifestyle throughout
your retirement. Whether you are in your 20s or approaching the senior years,
there are very simple steps you can take to keep your hips strong and healthy.
Regular exercise is extremely important to keep joints
strong and healthy. The hip joints need the support of strong bones, muscles
and connective tissues to function at their best. Strong and flexible muscles
keep the joint well-aligned and stable for smooth, efficient function, reducing
wear-and-tear damage that can lead to injuries and arthritis. Strong bones
reduce the risk of hip fractures and joint deterioration, and daily exercise is
essential to maintaining bone strength, stimulating the production of new bone
cells.
Maintaining hip health requires just half-an-hour of
moderate weight-bearing exercise, five days a week. A walk or bike ride after
dinner would do, or taking the stairs regularly at work rather than the
elevator. Aerobics and swimming are great for hip health, as are low-intensity
weight-lifting or resistance training. Limiting high-impact exercise that
involves a lot of running or jumping is wise, since these activities pound at
the joints, increasing the risk of joint injury.
Weight Control and
Nutrition
Eating well helps maintain hip health in a number of ways.
Maintaining a healthy body weight is very important to the health of
weight-bearing joints, since being too heavy causes unnecessary stress and
wear. Eating a wholesome, well-balanced diet provides your body with the
vitamins, minerals, proteins and other nutrients that it needs to build and
maintain strong muscles and bones. Nutrients especially important to bone,
joint and muscle health are vitamin C, which helps in collagen production,
calcium and vitamin D for bone density, and omega-3 essential fatty acids to
aid in maintenance of cartilage and other connective tissues.
Why Hip Health
Matters
Hip fractures, arthritis and other chronic degenerative
conditions disable a huge number of people every year. At especially high risk
are adults over the age of 55. A quarter of all Americans are affected by hip
arthritis in their lifetimes, 352,000 hip fractures happen every year, and in
2010, 458,000 hip replacements were performed.
Hip
replacement has restored many people disabled by hip problems to active
lifestyles, but they are by no means a quick and easy fix. Recovery takes
months of hard work, and like any surgery, there are risks. Additionally, hip
replacement has been problematic for quite a few patients lately, due to issues
with faulty hip implant devices. Several metal-on-metal devices have been
recalled recently due to high rates of failures and complications. Many with
these implants suffered metallosis, which is a serious and very painful
inflammatory condition caused by metallic implant debris. Metallosis can lead
to tissue death and bone loss around the implant and has led to many painful
and costly revision surgeries.
Elizabeth
Carrollton uses her background in journalism to write for DrugWatch.com. She is
dedicated to educating the public about medical safety and important decisions
that can impact a person’s health and life. Much of her work at Drugwatch
includes editorials pertaining to hip replacements and alternatives to relieve
pain, as well as complications and hip
replacement lawsuit information.
