Arthritis can significantly impact your joints causing pain, aching, and stiffness that only gets worse as you grow older. This is why knowing how to keep joints healthy as you age is so important as it relates to overall health and well being. If left uncontrolled and untreated, arthritis can significantly limit your joint movement and flexibility, leading to problems that are as simple as standing up or walking without pain, in some cases even leading to joint deformation.
In the US, around a quarter of all adults have some form of arthritis which equates to just over 54 million people who are dealing with it on a daily basis. This number, according to the CDC, is only expected to continue rising due to an ageing population meaning the number of people needing support will only get greater. This is why it is so important to understand why and how to keep joints healthy as you age to reduce the overall impact arthritis can have.
Regarding knowing how to protect your joints as you age, there are some important questions you need to first consider, namely:
- ● How can you prevent joint damage?
- ● How do you maintain healthy joints?
- ● What precautions do you need to take?
- ● How to strengthen knee cartilage, or other joint cartilage effectively?
In this post we will go into exactly how to keep your joints healthy as you age alongside some specific precautions you should be taking to ensure that you limit the impact that joint damage and arthritis can have on your body.
Caring For Your Joints
When it comes to knowing how to protect your joints, prevention is the first and most important step. By taking better care of your joints while you have the chance, it will drastically reduce the potential effects that ailments like arthritis can have when you get older. Caring for your joints early on can help to reduce, or at least alleviate, a number of different issues that could become bigger problems in the latter part of your life, not just in regards to your joint mobility, but on your overall health as well. Most people won’t think too much about joint care or protection when they are younger, or will only start doing so when it’s too late. This is why understanding the precautions you need to take as well as avoiding things that can actively lead to damage, is crucial to avoiding pain and discomfort as you age.
Save Your Joints With Different Precautions
Unfortunately, there is no current cure for arthritis. Medical support and physical therapy can help to improve a person's overall quality of life, which is why early prevention is so important. Here are just a few changes to your lifestyle and precautions you can make easily to help take better care of your joints while you can:
1. Manage Your Weight
Being overweight or obese can put a large on strain on your joints, especially your knees. It should be considered a priority that you maintain a weight that looks to reduce the stress on these joints, rather than exacerbate them. Your joints are meant to sustain a certain amount of force meaning that if you’re overweight, or even underweight in this instance, you will be putting a greater amount of stress onto these joints which can lead to damage. Essentially it works out that for each additional 10 pounds of weight you carry, it adds between 20 and 39 pounds of force to each knee while if you’re underweight, the lack of muscle bulk can prevent joints from staying strong and stable. This precaution starts with exercising regularly and eating a balanced healthy diet to better manage your weight.

2. Exercise Regularly
Building on this, regular exercise should also be considered a key precaution that everyone takes to both help maintain a healthy weight, but also to take better care of your joints. Some effective methods of exercise that limit the stress on your joints include: Cycling, Swimming, Walking and Yoga. One other effective way to help reduce the impact on your joints is to incorporate water resistance into your exercise. This is not limited to just swimming as walking in the shallow end of a pool can be a great way to take care of your joints safely. Consulting and working with a trained physical therapist will ensure that exercise you are doing is both safe and effective.

3. Stop Smoking
Quitting smoking should be something that everyone should be looking to do regardless of whether it is related to joint protection or not. Smoking and tobacco use increase the risk of many different health problems, one of which directly impacts on your joints. This is because smoking increases inflammation throughout your body, while also making it more difficult for your body to naturally recover from any injuries. Quitting nicotine and smoking can be a difficult process due to the addictive nature of tobacco, so look for support from experts to increase the likelihood of doing so.

4. Consult Experts
When it comes to knowing how to take care of joints as you age, it’s important to seek expert consultation before doing so, otherwise you might do more harm than good. At MyArthritisRx, experts and trained physical therapists will help you to devise a personalized treatment plan that helps you to better protect your joints, as well as deal with any issues stemming from arthritis.
5. Switch to a Healthier Diet
Following a healthy, balanced diet is something that we all should be doing, especially to take better care of joints. Avoiding fatty, sugary and unhealthy foods helps you avoid putting on added weight which increases the stress on your load-bearing joints. A healthy diet helps every part of your body operate effectively and consulting with a nutritionist will ensure you are able to follow a diet that actively helps your arthritis symptoms.

Final Thoughts
Everyone, regardless of their age, should be looking to take better care of the joints while they can. If not, your quality of life could drop significantly as you age due to limited mobility, reduced cartilage strength and problems performing simple tasks such as walking or standing up. Knowing how to protect your joints ensures you can enjoy the things you love for longer and all that is required are a few simple, everyday precautions.
If you have any questions, or want to know more information about tips for preserving healthy joints, reach out to us at MyArthritisRx and we’ll be happy to support you with your needs.