Protecting Your Knees Throughout All Stages of Life
The knees are a common area for injury and pain, with incidences occurring in roughly one-fifth of the population, and this is only second behind back pain. Because of this, it is common to hear someone you know talk about their “bad knees” at some point or another, especially in the older population. While knee pain can be common, it is also fairly easy to take care of to keep pain at bay and it is best to start working on them as early as possible.
The following information will help you get in touch with your knees and keep them as pain-free as possible as you age.
Joint Protection Strategies
Since April is Occupational Therapy Month, our OT’s have put together a list of modifications that can help to decrease forces on hands and other joints. This chart has modifications that many people encounter daily. These adaptations will allow you to use less force which will avoid pain, prevent arthritic changes, and help to prevent deforming forces and injury.
Motion Is Lotion: How To Stay Moving When Living With Osteoarthritis
Arthritis affects 24% of American adults, is the leading cause of work disability1, and accounts for approximately $303 billion of the $4.1 trillion yearly healthcare cost. With 21% of the population estimated to be 65+ by 2030, arthritis management will be an increasingly prevalent topic.
While exercise is one of the best treatments for arthritis, inevitably, the question arises of how to keep moving when living with arthritis. The answer begins with understanding that exercise is not the enemy.
Does Your Face Hurt?
Do you experience face or jaw pain, tightness, or restricted mouth opening? How about noises such as popping or clicking when opening or closing your mouth? Maybe you experience ear pain, dizziness, or headaches? These may be symptoms of a temporomandibular disorder (TMD). Temporomandibular disorders are a group of disorders that affect the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) or chewing muscles. These disorders are more common than you may think, affecting 5-12% of the population. In fact, TMD is second only to low back pain when it comes to musculoskeletal conditions resulting in pain and disability. Despite the number of people with TMD, only 50-66% seek treatment.
Body Parts You’re Neglecting During Workouts
Squat, bench, chin up and deadlift. What do all of these exercises have in common? They stimulate a lot of total musculature and are a great start to building a strong and aesthetic physique. Most people will progress just fine focusing on those few exercises; of course, they can sprinkle some others in there, but the nuts and bolts are there. While these exercises stimulate many muscles, they don’t do a great job of stimulating all of them effectively. It’s these body parts that need some extra work to get enough stimulus to make adaptations, and these muscles are key to providing support to your joints during your workouts and your life.
11 Reasons You Should Start Protecting Your Joints in Your 20s and 30s
With balance and strength declining as we age, often after the mid-50s, you may think that you don’t need to worry about improving these skills until much later in life. The truth is that maintaining physical fitness throughout your 20s and 30s comes with a number of benefits that can help set you up for better overall health long-term. Let’s take a look at a few key reasons why it’s never too early to start prioritizing your joint health.
Is it Safe to Run with Knee Pain?
Generally speaking, exercise should not be painful. Pain is an alarm system within the body telling you something is not working properly. So, should you keep running when your knee hurts? When do you go to the doctor? Will they ask you to stop running? Can you ignore it? Stop right there.
Why You Shouldn’t Put Off Your Ankle Pain
We’ve all tweaked our ankles at some point in our lives. Some of us have even done it so forcefully that we have sprained a ligament, broken a bone, or strained a muscle. Hopefully, you took appropriate care and are feeling better, but often in my practice, I hear the dreaded phrase, “oh yeah, that’s my bad ankle. It never got better after I did (insert something youthful and nostalgic here).”
There are two forms of untreated ankle issues I see in the clinic regularly. The painful ankle that is effectively avoided or the stiff ankle that the patient thinks is normal. Both can have long-term effects on ankle health and wear and tear on the knees, hips, and even low backs.
