Most recall the lyrics “your knee bone connected to your thigh bone; your thigh bone connected to your hip bone…” ad infinitum. Joints are connectors of bones and provide the support and movement bones need. Healthy joints mean healthy bones and are important to a Senior’s Quality of Life.
Over one-third of Seniors over the age of sixty suffer from osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease. Knees, shoulders, and hips are the top three joint complaints. Wear and tear on these or any joint often leads to a diagnosis of osteoarthritis. Positive outlooks are difficult to preserve when suffering pain.
Bridge to Better Living suggests using natural approaches sooner rather than later to help avoid seeking medical help, the use of supplements, or steroid injections. Seniors who have a history of taking Vitamin D and calcium, either in diet or supplements, hold a distinct advantage.
Exercise: Practice low-impact exercises such as yoga or tai chi to increase joint strength. Swimming or biking places low amounts of stress on joints. Small weights carried while walking help further increase bone density. Avoid stationary activities, stand while talking on the phone, change positions frequently, and stretch every 20-30 minutes to support joint strength.
Lose extra weight: The force on knees while walking on level ground is equal to 1½ times a body weight. A 200-pound man places 300 pounds of pressure on his knees with each step. Pressure could be four to five times his body weight when stooping to retie a shoelace. Healthy diets of fruits, nuts and cold-water fish, root vegetables, and only an occasional decadent piece of dark chocolate are recommended. As usual, avoid processed foods, sugar, and refined carbohydrates. Diet is important to a healthy Quality of Life, not only healthy joints.
Ordinary movements also put stress on joints. Think how opening a jar places pressure on wrists or how bending and twisting during gardening affects multiple joints. Use every tool available to avoid challenging joints. Work smarter, not harder.
Bridge to Better Living handles the pressure of finding and transitioning to a new Senior Living Option at no cost to the client. Expert consultants narrow down Independent, Assisted, Memory Care Assisted and Long-Term communities by locating the one best suiting each individual. Contact Bridge to Better Living today.