Soothe Your Joints

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Soothe Your Joints

Photo: © Comstock

How can I protect my joints while jogging or running?
Try to land on your feet as lightly as possible by tightening your core muscles (back, buttocks and abs) as your feet hit the ground. Practice jumping in place and landing so lightly that you hardly make a sound. Wearing gel inserts in your sneakers also can help absorb some of the impact. As for supplements, the research on chondroitin and glucosamine looks good, but it's too soon to say for sure that they work.

I'm 41. Is that too young for knee replacement surgery?
Joint replacement at your age is really a last resort. It's major surgery, and you'll probably need another surgery 10 to 15 years down the line to replace the new joint (maybe sooner if you're very active or overweight). But if you've already tried everything else—exercise, physical therapy, losing weight if you need to—and the pain is so bad that it's interfering with your daily life, then surgery may be worth it. Ask your doctor if it's possible to replace just part of your knee; it's less invasive and recovery time is faster.

My foot has been hurting for weeks, but I can still walk on it. Could it be broken? 
Yes, so stay off it as much as possible and get to an orthopedist ASAP for an X-ray or bone scan. Pain and swelling that lasts for a week or more is a red flag that you may have a stress fracture, which is caused by placing repeated force on a bone. If this is the case, you may need crutches and/or a brace.

0 comments:

Post a Comment

 
My Fitness For You © 2011 | Designed by Interline Cruises, in collaboration with Interline Discounts, Travel Tips and Movie Tickets