Human joints help people to move and become flexible with mobility. Without joints coming in various sizes, shapes, and locations, human bodies will be too rigid and inflexible to carry out daily activities. Those joints connect and hold two bones together to allow the movements of your skeleton.
Healthy joints are vital for an active lifestyle and a safe working life. Protecting them and keeping them in a fit condition is necessary for optimal daily activities. However, some abnormal pressures on them can cause joint injuries that result in pain and discomfort. Once you have an issue with one of the joints, it might take some time for rehabilitation and adjustment before the joints can function properly again.
The good news is you can always find out what common joint injuries are and learn how to avoid them.
What Are Common Joint Injuries?
Most injuries might occur due to overuse of specific joints or abnormal and prolonged stresses on them. Common injuries can also happen because of sudden trauma, fall, or an abrupt change of direction when moving. Improper training and repeated impact can also cause them.
Joint injuries come in different forms. A sprain, for instance, is the tear or stretch of ligaments protecting the joints. A strain is the twist or pulls of muscle connecting bones and joints. Sprains and strains are common issues for joints in the ankles and wrists. Repetitive stress injuries usually occur on knees with levels of pain that may vary from mild to severe.
How Can You Avoid Joint Injuries?
Fortunately, once you understand the common causes of joint injuries, it will be easier to prevent them from happening. Following the tips below can help to avoid joint injuries.
Consult your chiropractor
People often mistakenly take chiropractors for granted. The common misconception is that they only fix people with back issues. While a part of it is correct, it is not always the only issue they address.
A professional chiropractor is a vital resource for those keen to prevent injuries, especially people with high-impact actions on a daily basis. Chiropractors can tell the risks and cause of injuries that might occur to you, then suggest the best practices you can do to avoid them. Besides, they can be very beneficial for you in the long run. They can treat injuries and reverse the damage caused by sports or other activities.
Your chiropractor can help you with many things. You might already have questions such as, “can my chiropractor help me lose a few pounds?” The short answer is yes. They can even help to enhance your athletic performances.
Be careful when lifting heavy objects
Before you can see your chiropractor, you can start preventing joint injuries by becoming mindful of your daily activities. It can be as easy as being careful when you need to lift heavy objects. It looks simple, but it can be a real game-changer.
When lifting any object, you need to ensure that you are using the largest muscles in the area to perform the task. By utilizing the larger muscles, you have lowered the stress placed on the lower ones. By doing so, you can prevent twists or tears in the more vulnerable muscles.
Avoid staying in one posture for a long time
In your daily activities, you can start finding and comfortably using several different postures. The key is to avoid staying in one posture for a long time. When you are doing so, you will let your muscles fatigue and stiffened. Rigid muscles combined with bad postures, such as partially bending the waist, will injure the joints. Do not wait until you feel your muscles have stiffened up before changing your posture if you want to protect your joints.
Learn the good postures
Upon performing tasks, you need to maintain the joints used for the action in their neutral posture. Otherwise, you can keep the joints halfway into the range of movements. Those postures are the best ones to keep your joints relatively safe.
Forcing your joints to work on extreme posture or abnormal ranges of movements for an extended period can be the recipe for joint injuries. Such actions may cause repetitive stress issues.
Strengthen muscles around the joints
Maintaining strength in the muscles around the joint area will give your joints higher chances to endure stresses. Prioritize muscle development by doing simple exercises regularly. Building up muscles surrounding the joints will support them in performing tasks.
Knowing that knees are prone to joint injuries, you can start strengthening those areas. Focus on quadriceps and hamstrings by doing calf raises, step-ups, and wall squats. With enhanced muscles around those areas, you will stabilize your knees, making them more resistant to impact and twisting.
Shoulders might also be another area susceptible to injuries. Do simple exercises to strengthen this area. Moves like push-ups, lateral lifts, and bench dips can be beneficial.
Warm-up and cool down
Remember an essential step to take before and after exercising your joints or performing daily impacts: warm-up and cool down. Warming up your joints through motions helps them to be more receptive in absorbing impact and shock.
Cooldown brings your heart rate back to the normal range gradually. It will prevent blood from pooling in your legs or any extremities. Additionally, cooldown movements also help your joints to keep mobile.
Train smart
Train smartly by doing cross-training. Some of the most common joint injuries occur when doing only one kind of workout repeatedly. Prevent them by having different exercises now and then. By doing so, you have worked out and strengthened multiple muscles to avoid those injuries.
Try workout rotations to balance them all. You can train your muscles in one day and do cardiovascular activities on some other days. These rotations will also lead you to a higher fitness level that can also minimize the chance of joint injuries.
Rest Properly
Having a much-needed break is crucial to avoid joint injuries. It is necessary to take a day off or two from your daily activities and workout routine. You do not want to put your muscles, bones, and joints into relentless overwork.
Conclusion
Avoiding joint injuries is something you can do, even if your daily activities require many actions to perform. The key is to know your limit and know what can cause joint injuries in your routine. Appropriate care of your joints can help your body to function well in the long term and enhance physical activity at the same time.