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Caring for Your Joints

Here are nine tips to help you guard your joints against injury and diseases such as arthritis. Here's information you can use daily to maintain healthy and strong joints.

You and Your Joints

A joint is the connection between two bones. Joints and their surrounding structures allow you to bend your elbows and knees, wiggle your hips, bend your back, turn your head, and wave your fingers to say bye-bye.

Smooth tissue called cartilage and a fluid called synovium cushion the joints so bones do not rub together. But increasing age, injury -- even sitting the wrong way or carrying too much weight -- can wear and tear your cartilage. That can lead to inflammation -- arthritis -- and other problems that can damage your joints.

The best way to care for your joints is to keep them and your muscles, ligaments, and bones strong and stable. Here are some tips for good joint health.

Healthy joint tip # 1: Watch your weight

Keeping your weight within a healthy range is the best thing you can do for your joints. Weight-bearing joints, such as your knees, hips, and back, have to support some, if not all, of your body weight. That's why so many people have problems with these areas of the body.

The higher the number on your bathroom scale, the more wear and tear you put on your joints. Losing weight reduces pressure on your knees, hips, and back and helps prevent joint injury. Research has shown that with every pound gained, a person puts four times more stress on the knees. Women who lose about 11 pounds reduce their risk of developing arthritis of the knees.

Healthy joint tip # 2: Get moving

Exercise can help you lose extra pounds or maintain a healthy weight. Some research suggests that aerobic exercise -- activities that get your heart rate up -- can reduce joint swelling. Opt for exercises that won't give your joints a pounding. Instead of step aerobics, try low-impact exercises such as swimming or bicycling.

Another healthy idea: Don't sit still! Couch potatoes, computer addicts, and anyone else who remains glued to a chair all day long have a high risk for joint pain. Less movement means more stiffness in your joints. So get up and get moving. Change positions frequently. Take frequent breaks at work and stretch or go for a short walk. If you can't leave the office, try taking phone calls while standing.

Healthy joint tip # 3: Build muscle

Strong muscles cushion your joints. If you don't have enough muscle, your joints take a pounding, especially those in your knees, which must support your entire body weight. Weight training exercises help build muscle and keep existing muscle and surrounding ligaments strong. Then your joints don't have to do all the work. Make sure you talk to your doctor before starting any type of exercise routine, including weight lifting. You don't want to strain the joint that you're trying to strengthen.

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