Six Tips To Prevent Osteoarthritis

Given that osteoarthritis can lead to serious problems for our health, it is advisable to take measures to prevent it from appearing, or at least delay it for as long as possible.

Do you want to prevent osteoarthritis?

This disease of the bone system, called osteoarthritis in medical language, affects both men and women, and is common in the elderly. It is caused by degeneration of cartilage and adjacent bones.

Cartilage degeneration manifests itself when one is between 50 and 55 years old, where it can present itself with more marked features.

Cartilage consists of collagen. D ets basic function is to prevent the bones to rub against each other.
When this tissue disappears or degenerates, it begins to cause pain due to friction. This is the main cause of inflammation and deformities in the joints.

If this disease becomes chronic, it can worsen the mobility of the sufferer, which means that it must be treated in time. In this sense, we should not reduce the importance of joint pain or degeneration, as it is better to prevent than to have to cure.

How do I know if I have osteoarthritis?

Although it is more difficult to detect in those who are younger, the symptoms of osteoarthritis in most cases begin to appear in some joints, something we must pay special attention to:

Hands and fingers
Lumbar spine
Hips
Knees
Elbow

Tips to prevent osteoarthritis

Eat calcium

Consuming calcium is important for the health of our skeleton. Because of this, we must remember to include it in our daily diet.

In addition to helping us prevent osteoarthritis, it can also prevent or delay the onset of other degenerative diseases such as osteoporosis (osteoporosis). This is very common in women. You can consider a dietary supplement.

2. A diet rich in vegetables

We should have a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. These provide many vitamins and minerals, both to the bones and to the body in general.

Among the foods that have the most vitamin C we find:

Citrus fruits (orange, grapefruit, mandarin)
Strawberry
Celery
Carrots
Cabbage
Broccoli

3. Lose weight to prevent osteoarthritis

Obesity is also a health problem that is very common today and is another cause of this condition.

Being overweight can cause too much pressure on the knees because they support the body, which can lead to joint cartilage damage.

4. Training

Daily exercise is a way to avoid diseases like this, as long as they are practiced properly. When training in the gym, we must have a very good posture so as not to affect the bones, and thus the cartilage.

We must also keep in mind that when we jog, we must be very aware of how our feet land and calculate the distances according to our weight. Among the recommended exercises we have:

Pilates
Yoga
Stretching
Swimming

5. Good attitude

For those of us who sit at work all day, our attitude must be right. We need to be sure that the chairs are ergonomic and correct our way of sitting if we see that we do not have the ideal position.

To prevent osteoarthritis and improve our health in general, it is recommended to take active breaks every hour to do some stretching exercises before we continue with our work again. When we have a bad attitude, due to work, a type of sport or physical exercise, we are more prone to osteoarthritis.

6. Visit the doctor

When we discover a symptom of pain, it is advisable to go to a specialist. They will discover if the disease exists, and can also specify to what extent it is in. In addition, you will be told what treatment you should use to alleviate the disease.

Then we must continue to go to the doctor on a regular basis to follow up the disease.

If we have ever had a fracture or trauma that has not healed properly, osteoarthritis can occur due to poor healing that directly affects the cartilage.

7. Nourish the cartilage

Today, there are supplements that help us nourish our body. In this case , we recommend the use of glucosamine, hydrolyzed collagen and hyaluronic acid. In this way we can feed and nourish cartilage that covers the body’s bones.

Here are some tips to help prevent osteoarthritis, but what is important for good health is to have a healthy life, with good nutrition and good habits. We must keep in mind that in case any symptoms occur, we must visit our GP to get the correct diagnosis and treatment.