Alan Nevies and his colleagues at northlondonosteopaths.co.uk would like to suggest the following tips to Save our Joints. Anyone who suffers from the misery of joint pain would confirm that Save Our Joints comes close behind Save Our Souls.

Joint pain can be caused by a number of factors. They may be a delayed consequence of an earlier injury. Or they are a result of certain repetitive movements for example kneeling or hand movements that build up from a minor trauma to a major one.

The impact depends on which joint is affected, but these tips are a good starting point and have been promoted by Harry Jameson, a trainer who needed a hip replacement at the age of 40 largely as a result of osteoarthritis (OA). These ideas are particularly relevant to protecting the hip joint although they are generally beneficial activities.

• Never stop strengthening your muscles. Muscles support joints and strong muscles benefit their neighbouring joints. A daily 15-minute workout of basic muscle strengthening activities including step-ups, push-ups, use of dumbbells were shown to provide pain relief for people suffering from arthritis after 6 weeks of regular practice.
• Running and walking have been shown to stimulate healthy joint cartilage. Alan Nevies and his colleagues at northlondonosteopaths.co.uk would be happy to advise on the right amount, technique and footwear to ensure that running does not destroy the joint cartilage.
• Vary exercise so that no one part of the body is eroded while the remainder is neglected. Exclusive focus on running and cycling places demands on the hip and leg joints without paying attention to the joints of the upper body. It is important to give as many areas of the musculo skeletal system as good a run for their money as possible
• Losing a pound in excess weight can reduce strain and pressure on the joints. One pound less of excess weight can mean 4 times less force going through hips and knees as a result of certain activities eg climbing the stairs
• Eating leafy green vegetables and broccoli especially which contains a compound called sulforaphane that slows down the destruction of cartilage even in joints with signs of OA. Conversely, processed foods cause inflammation which exacerbates OA.
• Limit alcohol as consuming more than the recommended 14 units per week may harm joints.
• Saunas and ice baths have been shown to reduce inflammation which may benefit joints.
• Pilates either on a mat or on a reformer machine can help to strengthen joints as it engages the smaller postural muscles , glutes and core.

So please come to northlondonosteopaths.co.uk for some advice and joinTed up thinking from Alan Nevies and his colleagues on how to Save yOur Joints