For a normal daily life we need to continue to have the freedom of movement, we have to ensure that we look after the joints in the body, there are two different types, the fingers, knees and elbows are examples of hinge joints whereas the shoulders and hips are ball and socket joints. It is important to maintain good joint health, as they are essential for everyday activities such as walking, lifting things and all the other actions that we tend to take for granted.
The body parts are held together and kept stable by tough tissue in the body called ligaments. The ends of the bones are covered by hard cartilage that acts as a shock absorber and stops harm coming to the bones when they are knocked. The cartilage also allows the body to move about freely. The human body contains a fluid that lubricates the joints and also keeps the cartilage nourished. If the body gets a knock then it may become quite painful and swollen and it may prevent you carrying out your normal every day activities.
Over time and as we get older, the cartilage around the bones begins to wear away and this makes the bones rub against each other causing stiffness and some degree of pain. This condition is called arthritis, it is usually the parts of the body, which move the most, being the hardest working, for example, the knees, hands, and hips which are worst effected by the condition.
Arthritis can affect anybody at any age, although generally it is older people who suffer from the disease. Sometimes children and teenagers have been known to suffer from arthritis.
Osteoarthritis can affect people who suffer from repetitive strain, this could be from work related activities where the same action is repeated over and over. Sportsmen and women who put their bodies under significant strain can also suffer from arthritis. Being overweight also puts excessive strain on the body especially on the knees.
Taking the time to exercise and eat a healthy diet will help to keep body weight under control and will go a long way to help to keep the body in good health and prevents it from suffering from pain and discomfort. Regular exercise especially swimming helps improve the function of body parts and may even reduce pain and swelling, this in turn will help sufferers of Osteoarthritis.
By providing your body with a healthy balanced diet, you will be giving it all the necessary vitamins and minerals that it requires to help the bones remain strong such as calcium from milk and other dairy products and vitamins and minerals, this will reduce the chances of osteoarthritis. Food supplements can also provide all the vitamins and minerals required for maintaining good health.
To help to relieve the pain of Osteoarthritis, sufferers may find that taking painkillers or complementary treatments make the pain ease for a while. Popular off the shelf remedies are glucosamine, this is a natural substance produced by the body to manufacture cartilage and for repairing damage caused by knocks.
