Protect Your Joints – Injury Prevention and Treatment

No matter what your favourite type of physical activity is – from Zumba and yoga to body-building and recreational sports – you have to take care of your joints. Think of them as the most fragile part of your body and something that can be shattered in a matter of seconds. Of course, our joints are strong and enduring, especially in people who eat properly, but treating them as if they were fragile means that you will take better care of them. Here is how you can ensure protection and treatment in case something does happen and you want to make sure you do not suffer any further.

What Types of Joint Injuries Exist?

All people are prone to injuries, regardless of their athletic abilities and all should pay equal attention to prevention. The topic of sports injuries is quite broad as they can be very different and often depend on the type of activity you are involved in and how prepared for it your body is. Naturally, injuries can occur anywhere, even at your own home – think about hanging curtains or getting in and out of the shower.

When it comes to sports injuries, they usually target your bones and muscles – fractures, sprains and strains – and joints. And there is more: not all injuries are the same, as you can dislocate joints, tear the ligaments, the connective tissue that connects the joints and holds them together, or you can even tear the tendons, strings of fibres that support your joints and provide them the ability to move flexibly.

Prevention and Protection

However strong your joints are, they will be dislocated under massive pressure and are bound to succumb to it no matter how hard you try to protect them. Dislocations are caused by falls or traumas such as hits or kicks by a strong force. Once that happens, joints tear apart and, depending on your age, health condition and the type of injury, take usually from a few weeks to a couple of months to heal.

In order to prevent this, it is vital to protect your joints at all times. This means every gym training session, every soccer game, every football practice, every time you jog around the block, etc. Some of the most useful things for joint support are stretching, proper footwear, elastic bandages and, of course, a healthy eating regime. If your diet consists of nothing other than sweets, fast food and soft drinks, you cannot expect your body, or your joints, to be healthy. Apart from eating right, make sure you always choose the right shoes for the job: don’t ever go running in your boots. If you have put too much strain on a joint, try using a bandage to protect it during your next session. And if you feel unexpected pain, stop what you are doing, and take a break. You may believe you can work through the pain, and perhaps you can, but you will more likely cause more harm than good.

Treatment

Should a joint injury occur, try not to panic as you can relieve joint pain by a number of means and tactics. The simplest one is icing, i.e. applying ice to your feet, arms or shoulders for about ten to fifteen minutes in order to renew the synovial fluid in them. Even taking supplements for your joints can help you avoid further damage and some of the best options can probably already be found in your home – Omega-3 fatty acids, Calcium and vitamin C. You can of course turn to something that comes out of a bottle.

If the pain does not go away, be sure to contact your doctor immediately. If left untreated, dislocated joints can bring a world of pain and cause serious medical issues. Your doctor will do an X-ray, push the joint back in its proper position and secure it with a splint or a bandage.

Caution above Everything!

Whenever you feel the symptoms of joint dislocation, do not hesitate to treat them or go to your doctor. However, in order to avoid that, protect your joints against injuries and, once you are sure.