Almost 20 percent of people in the United States have arthritis. Whether you're in the afflicted minority or the lucky majority, it's important to take care of your body and protect your joints to maximize their use, mobility and function for as long as you can. But it's not just about being able to coax your joints into action in the years to come -- preventing or limiting the amount of pain or discomfort you feel today is a plus, too.
Over time, even normal, healthy joints deteriorate, but you can minimize the effects by following a few basic steps. And if your joints are already in pain, the tips in this article will alleviate your pain and make life a little easier.
Work Right
Many of us spend a good deal of time sitting at desks covered in keyboards, monitors and mice (of the computer variety). You may have trouble convincing your spouse otherwise, but there's a lot more than just sitting going on.
To create a good work environment, you don't want your chair too low. The higher it is, the less you'll have to bend to get in and out of it -- your knees and hips will thank you. If you're standing and working at a desk or counter, make sure you're not having to hunch over to write or type.
Take the time to arrange your workstation so you'll be comfortable in a variety of positions: typing on your keyboard, reading the screen with your hand on your mouse or writing on a desk surface. Make sure your elbows and forearms are comfortably supported, and that your thighs rest parallel to the ground (if it's more comfortable, it's also good to have your knees slightly higher than your hips, by using a footrest, for instance). It's important not to have a desk-and-chair combo that restricts your natural movement -- you should be able to rearrange your legs without bumping into the inside walls of the desk cavity. Your rear end should be pushed completely back into the chair.
Do all of this and your joints will be sitting pretty for years to come.
Posture, Posture, Posture
Although our bodies can bend and twist in all kinds of ways, they're designed to maintain a specific posture when not in action mode. Just like a marionette stands perfectly straight when the central head string is taut, so too should we stand as if a string were holding us up from the crowns of our heads, aligning our ears with our anklebones and creating a straight line that passes through our shoulders, hips and knees. By maintaining good posture, your muscles and skeletal system work together to put less strain on your joints.
This takes some effort and thought, as slumping or slouching is the normal stance for most of us. But good posture limits your bones from rubbing against each other unnecessarily at the joints, preventing or putting off the appearance of arthritis. Once you're used to standing ramrod straight, your muscles will feel an overall ease in stress, since they won't be in constant use to maintain an unhealthy zigzag body form.
Your back and neck will especially thank you, and good posture will help your shoulders, hips and knees from feeling tight.
You don't want to put undue strain on your joints, but you don't want to underuse them either. Try to maintain a nice, even balance between motion and rest. Work too hard for too long without a break, and your joints are going to go on strike. They don't like constant use, overuse or abuse, and if you push those joints to their limits, you'll suddenly find it's a lot more difficult to get a strong grip on that bag of groceries.
But if you stay at rest too long, you may encounter the same problems because your joints have stiffened up. Before stiffness creeps in, remember to regularly "shake it out" throughout the day. When you're at rest (or working in a seated or still position), remember to move around now and then and keep those joints limber. Get up at least once every hour and put your body into motion for a few minutes.
Learn more ways to keep your joints happy and healthy at the source.