Suffering arthritic pain and stiffness? Follow these simple steps to maintain joint health and reduce symptoms:
- Strengthen muscles around the arthritic joints. Exercise in moderation supports joint health e.g. cycling strengthens knees without putting weightbearing stress on the joints. Yoga, Pilates, walking, swimming can all help to keep joints well supported with strong muscles.
- Posture – keep hips higher than knees when seated, support your low back. When lying down use a pillow under the knees if lying on your back, or between the knees if on your side, to support the low back, hips and knees.
- Diet Dos – Include anti-inflammatory ingredients in your meals e.g. turmeric, garlic, avocado, broccoli, spinach, dark chocolate, nuts, whole grains, oily fish, etc and consider taking a supplement of Glucosamine Sulphate regularly. Keep to a healthy weight to avoid overloading the joints.
Oily fish – with loads of calcium if you eat the bones
- Diet Don’ts – minimise sugar, saturated fats, heavily processed foods and acid forming foods (e.g. meat, white wine) which can aggravate arthritic symptoms. Notice how your body reacts to nightshade veg (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, aubergines) as some people find that they aggravate symptoms.
- Have regular maintenance treatment such as osteopathy or massage to keep pain to a minimum
- Don’t be still for too long – regular activity will help to prevent you from stiffening up, even if it is seated exercises to move your knees or ankles.
- Keep warm – the cold causes the body to reduce blood flow to the extremities, affecting joint health, and may also cause an inflammatory reaction in the joints.
Is this what you say as you sit down?
