There is nothing worse than when you start experiencing pain in your joints, for many people this pain can be constant. Understanding how & why our joints are so important and how we can take care of them is the first step to being a happier human.
Joints play a crucial role in allowing us to move and perform various physical activities. Maintaining healthy joints is important for overall mobility, flexibility, and reducing the risk of pain and joint conditions such as osteoarthritis, gout, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Understanding the best ways to take care of our joints especially as we get older is vital to ensure we avoid, reduce and don't suffer unnecessary pain.
🏋♀️Exercise regularly: Regular physical activity helps to strengthen the muscles around your joints, improve flexibility, and reduce stress on your joints.
Maintain a healthy weight: Excessive weight can put extra pressure on your joints, leading to pain and damage over time.
🍏🥦🥑Eat a balanced diet: A diet that is rich in anti-inflammatory foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can help to reduce joint pain and inflammation.
💤Get enough sleep: Getting enough sleep is important for overall health and can also help to reduce joint pain and stiffness.
Avoid smoking: Smoking can reduce blood flow to your joints, leading to damage and decreased joint health.
Below I have unpacked ways to improve mobility and strength in the two most common areas, the hips and shoulders!
STRENGTHENING, MOBILISING, STABILISING AND STRETCHING FOR THE HIP
Technically when we strengthen a hip joint we are also creating stabilisation as part and parcel of the exercise. But we can implement balance to further increase this level of stabilisation. Starting out with mobilisation exercises post warm up,then progressing onto stabilising (balancing) and strengthening exercises, followed by stretching exercises.
The video below is not to be taken as a cookie cutter "one programme fits all" but simply a guide to some things that can improve and speed up recovery.
I cover hip exercises and mobility workouts online via YouTube and provide in person specific support dependant on needs.
20min Mat based glute and thigh workout
10 min Glutes and Thigh standing banded workout
10 Min Mobility
30min hip, glute and lower back mobility and strength
REDUCING SHOULDER PAIN THROUGH MOBILISATION, STRENGTHENING AND STRETCHING
Understanding that by doing nothing, that pain in your shoulder will only get worse.
The aim is to focus on mobilising the shoulder joint in whatever way is feasible,
whilst not eliciting further pain.
Strengthening the surrounding muscles groups as well as the specific muscle itself will help to create greater stabilization of the joint.
Stretching out the muscles / releasing the joint can aid recovery.
These are just SOME of the exercises that may help those with rotator cuff issues or a certain level of impingement. Of course, refer to a physio in the first instance to get a correct diagnosis of the cause of pain, as the shoulder is a complex joint.
But taking care of and continuing to move our bodies we are future proofing our bodies against further injury.
Here are a few YouTube videos which may be useful to refer to;
7min Quick Hip and Shoulder Opener
20min Shoulder Strength and Health
20min Shoulder Mobility and Stretches
12min Shoulder Mobility
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Maddy x