Looking After Your Joints

Over time, age and activity, combined with inadequate nutritional support can all lead to less than optimum joint performance, and often, unrelenting joint pain.

Our joints are comprised of a multitude of parts, all designed to not only allow us flexibility in how we move, but to protect and stabilize our bones during exertions.

Joint Structure

The structure of a joint is more than just two bones that allow movement. Depending on the joint in question, various connective tissues (for example, tendons and ligaments) support, connect and/or enclose the joint structure. Damage, deterioration or a weakening of any of these connective tissues places more stress on the bones in the joint and can fail to protect the bones from further injury. 

Cartilage, a tough connective tissue able to withstand great amounts of pressure, is also found around joints, providing a slippery cushion for the bones to slide smoothly over each other while moving, as well as evening out and buffering the load placed on the joint (think of it as nature's shock absorber).

A decline in the amount or quality of cartilage is often not noticed, because cartilage does not contain nerve endings. Bone does and joint pain is often an indicator that cartilage has worn down or become damaged enough to allow wear and tear on the bone itself.

A variety of other tissues all play their part in protecting, cushioning and lubricating the bones that allow us flexibility in our movements.

Keeping our joints healthy or helping them to repair once damage has occurred is more than just taking care of the bone. It means reducing inflammation and the stress placed on the joint until it is healed. Strengthening the supportive tissues and creating optimum conditions for our own regeneration processes to occur keep our joints healthy.

Using two hands to lift items or using the strength of your whole body minimizes the amount of stress placed on any one joint - easing the load carried by weak or injured areas.

Exercises designed to gently strengthen the connective tissues surrounding the joint provide better protection for the joint and increase circulation to the area, aiding the healing process.

Most effective over the long term is providing our body with the building blocks needed to repair and regenerate all the healthy tissues needed for optimum joint health.

Supplements designed to support the body’s natural anti-inflammatory response as well as providing the vitamins, minerals and proteins needed to repair and regenerate bone and soft tissues are a great way to not only heal existing damage but also protect joints from future injuries as well.