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I am thinking ahead in hopes of avoiding those joint-replacement surgeries that have become the norm for older folks nowadays. Mainly the knees & hips, which carry the most weight & take the most abuse.
I do understand that joint degeneration is a cumulative wear & tear situation.. which is also influenced by genetics, personal anatomy, nutrition, what kinds of motions you do & how often, etc.
But if the degeneration is generally cumulative, then it seems the less you use a joint, the longer it will last (short of being completely immobile, of course). Right? But then they say, 'move it or lose it'.. and keep yourself moving, and so on.
I know it helps to avoid running on pavement, keep your weight down, etc. and I know that doing moderate exercise is supposed to keep the muscles toned around your joints to help support them. But I guess I'm wondering where that fine line is, between exercising enough to protect your joints & extend their 'life'.. and doing too much and wearing them out too soon...?
This also includes working on your feet all day doing manual labor or repetitive motions. The exercise is great, but how much is too much? Are you keeping in shape but wearing out your joints? How can you tell?
So..in a nutshell, how can a person be on their feet a lot (working & exercising- mostly walk/light jog & some gym weighs etc.) and still protect their joints, and hopefully keep them healthy for their whole life?
((Please don't say 'glucosamine'... with all due respect, not looking for unproven gimmicks.. I'm hoping to hear some real scientific answers here..!))
Wear good, supportive shoes and replace them when they wear out.
I don't know how much exercise is too much, but at least if you do wear out a joint, you'll be in better shape to deal with the recovery from a repair.
Cutting out junk food and honing in on wholesome and nutritious foods would do no harm.
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((Please don't say 'glucosamine'... with all due respect, not looking for unproven gimmicks.. I'm hoping to hear some real scientific answers here..!))
What makes you say glucosamine is not a scientific answer? It has reversed my own arthritis (glucosamine with chondroitin). I was put onto it by a physiotherapist who learned of it in her studies. I have less arthritis now than I did twenty years ago. Swelling of my finger joints have almost disappeared and my knees are now fully mobile as opposed to being unable to squat and having pain walking downhill.
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Laboratory studies suggest that glucosamine may stimulate production of cartilage-building proteins. Other research suggests that chondroitin may inhibit production of cartilage-destroying enzymes and fight inflammation too. Some human studies have found that either one may relieve arthritis pain and stiffness with fewer side effects than conventional arthritis drugs.
Thanks for the good advice guys, and 303Guy I'm glad you found that glucosamine worked for you! That is amazing that you reversed your arthritis & I will keep an open mind about it. Hedgehog- you are so right about good shoes- thanks for the important reminder.
I moved this to Exercise & Wellness (hope that is allowed..?) because that seemed to be a better fit for the original question...
((Please don't say 'glucosamine'... with all due respect, not looking for unproven gimmicks.. I'm hoping to hear some real scientific answers here..!))
5 years ago, the chondormalacia in my knee was so severe I couldn't walk more than a couple of blocks because of the pain and swelling. My orthopedic surgeon said that I was less than a year away from a knee replacement, but suggested I at least try a glucosamine-chondroitin supplement. I thought it was stupid, but I tried it anyway.
Sure enough, it didn't work. I gave it 3 weeks, but the knee only got worse.
But I read some message boards online where people were saying that different brands sometimes may be more effective than others, and I figured, what the heck? There was nothing to lose, so why not just try another brand. So I picked up a bottle of Osteo-Biflex.
2 weeks later, I hiked three miles in the snow on the North Shore of Lake Superior, with no difficulty whatsoever. Over the last 5 years, I've hiked an average of about 20 to 30 miles a week - I don't mean walking on a path, I mean hiking in the woods and on steep hills. My knee is in fantastic shape. I still have chondromalacia, and I still may need a knee replacement someday, but it's gotten no worse in the 5 years since I started taking the Osteo-Biflex. If I stop taking it for a week or so, the pain comes back; when I resume, it's gone within about 5 days.
So, you do what you like. But I know what I'm going to keep doing, because I intend to get an entire lifetime out of this knee.
2 weeks later, I hiked three miles in the snow on the North Shore of Lake Superior, with no difficulty whatsoever. Over the last 5 years, I've hiked an average of about 20 to 30 miles a week - I don't mean walking on a path, I mean hiking in the woods and on steep hills.
That is astounding! I was told results would only be noticeable after three months. Apparently it's the 5-Loxin MSM that reduces joint pain. Extreme athlete, Tammy Ross promotes it and she was forced to retire from sport due to her knee arthritis which was cause by joint stress and injuries.
However, the OP question was on avoidance of these problems. Stressing of the skeletal system can cause arthritis as far as I can make out and with time against us, ageing would show up the arthritis. Tammy Ross represents the stress cause of the condition.
I found that cycling helped my knees. I had a torn meniscus and while walking was difficult, cycling actually eased the pain and discomfort. After surgery I could only really hobble around but I got onto my wife's bicycle (I couldn't get onto mine) the day I got home and rode up the steep hill and through the bush (it wasn't a small ride). That injury had nothing to do with arthritis though but it indicates to me that cycling is not damaging to the knees and may even be beneficial.
ok,this is just my opinion and it doesn't mean this is right for everyone.1-I don't think the wearing out of knees,etc is much different today than in years past, it is just we now have a way to help people who wear their joints out.
2-supposedly watching your weight helps, but it isn't the total answer. I have had a lot of friends with knee and hip replacements who are not overweight.
3-according to our orthopedist, taking glucosamine works for some or they think it does. He said it certainly can not hurt,but there is no proof what so ever it helps. My husband's orthopedist told him the same thing about 20 years ago. Who knows?
4-people who do a lot of physical work, are inclined to have more problems. That probably goes without saying. and last but not least, the cause usually is arthritis and this often runs in families. Most of the people on my moms side of the family, who have lived past mid 70s have had something replaced. I had knee replacement abut 5 months ago. Now our daughter, who is only in her mid 50s is facing both knee replacements. Artritis runs in my family as well as my husbands. I might add, when someone suggested eating healthy, that is probable true, but in the case of our family, we are very aware of healthy eating habits and enjoy fruits and veggies more than anything else, with very little junk food.
Analysis of the primary outcome measure revealed that supplementation with NEM® produced an absolute rate of response that was significantly better (ranging from 10.3% to 26.6% improvement) than placebo at all time points for both pain and stiffness, but fell short of significance for function and overall WOMAC, despite improving by 8.8% to 15.5% (see Table 2).
SEATTLE, Oct. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Collagen hydrolysate (CH), a special type of gelatine, was shown to stimulate synthesis of type II collagen in a study presented today at the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. Type II collagen is an essential component of joint cartilage and gives cartilage its tensile strength and stiffness. Earlier studies have demonstrated improvements in joint function in osteoarthritis patients supplemented with CH, but precise mechanisms were not clear.
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