The first symptom is often a painful twinge in the knee, or maybe some stiffness in your fingers. Like wrinkles and grey hair, creaky joints are the first sign of growing old – and can herald years of chronic pain.
The cause is usually wear and tear or osteoarthritis.
This leaves millions on anti-inflammatory and painkilling drugs, while every year thousands of others end up having joint replacement operations.
But there is lots you can do to limit and even prevent this wear and tear.
In healthy joints, cartilage acts as a shock absorber, providing a smooth surface between the bones that’s 20 times more slippery than ice.
However, with wear and tear, cartilage starts to disintegrate, leaving the ends of the bones exposed. They then grind against each other, causing pain.
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Genetics, nutrition and illness all have a role to play in how long our cartilage lasts. But how you use your joints – and the muscles, ligaments and tendons around them – is also vital.
Here, with the help of experts, we explain how to avoid and limit joint damage, including food and exercise to put the spring back in your step: HIP
The hip is a ball-and-socket joint. It has the widest range of movement of all the main weight-bearing joints; it’s also the joint that suffers the most wear and tear.
That’s because, when you walk and stand up, the weight of the upper body pushes down on the hip, while the legs apply pressure from below.
Men and women tend to suffer from hip problems equally, with most people being diagnosed from their mid-40s onwards.
HOW TO PREVENT WEAR AND TEAR: Strengthening the muscles, ligaments and tendons around the hip is vital – by improving this scaffolding around the joint, you spread the pressure of walking and standing throughout the body and cushion the impact on the cartilage.
The best way to do this is with non-impact exercise such as yoga, Pilates, swimming and cycling.
One of the worst things you can do is suddenly start a high-impact exercise regime.
‘If you do insist on running, you must warm up beforehand,’ says consultant orthopaedic surgeon Tony Clayson, of the British Hip Society.
‘The muscles need to be strengthened and the joints made supple before you start pounding the pavements.’
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It’s also important to buy the most supportive pair of shoes you can afford, says Mike O’Neill, of the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists.
In general, shoes with rubber soles are preferable, as they absorb shocks better than leather.
If you have flat feet, wear insoles – otherwise the feet may roll inwards, changing the position of the thigh bones. This, in turn, will lead to the pelvis tilting to accommodate the change, causing misalignment and wearing.
USEFUL EXERCISES: Exercise is the pumping mechanism that pushes nutrients into joints, nourishing cartilage; if you don’t use your joints, you lose them.
Physiotherapist Sammy Margo recommends swinging the legs backwards ten times each a day, and then side to side to keep the hip moving well through its full range of motion.
RISKY ACTIVITIES: Wearing shoes with no cushioning, excessive weight gain.
SHOULDER
The shoulders carry no weight, so are far less likely to suffer wear and tear.
Far more likely is dislocation. This is because while shoulders have the greated range of movement in the body unlike the hips the sockets are very shallow so the bones are more likely to slip out or dislocate.
Shoulders are also more at risk of ligament and muscle strain caused by sudden lifting above head height or throwing.
HOW TO PREVENT WEAR: The main risk for shoulder mobility is, in fact, not using the joint enough.
April 1, 2010
