Tag Archive for: joints

What to Do About Aching Joints

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When we stop to consider what prevents us from moving as much and as freely as we would like, the main culprit would probably be our joints: knees for most, with hips a close second. Shoulders are up there, along with our feet and hands. One of my problem areas is my thumbs in the metacarpal joints of both hands.

Everything we’ve talked about so far leads us to our joints. The muscles attach to bones via tendons across joints, and that allows for movement. There are ligaments that hold bones in place, several types of cartilage that provide cushioning, even specialized fluid within joints. It’s the interaction of all those factors combined with the damage we’ve experienced and our genetics that results in the pain we may experience that inhibits motion. What do we do about it?

Without question, the most important is stretching and strengthening. I’ve written about that already, but it warrants a reminder. Maintaining the range of motion of each joint improves our mobility and ability to use our limbs properly. Our physical therapist has a saying, “Motion is lotion,” which is a way of saying the more you move, the easier it is to move. We should all move as much as we can without overdoing it. Here’s an example: Paula and I had to give up dance lessons because she has arthritis in her feet, and dancing was just too much stress on all the little joints in the foot. For all of us, the challenge is finding that happy medium between moving enough to keep everything going and moving so much it adds to the damage.

In terms of nutrients, all parts of the joints are connective tissue; the basic nutrient for every one is glucosamine. Our bodies are supposed to make as much as we need but often don’t. Any type of glucosamine can be beneficial. Chondroitin and hyaluronic acid are forms of glycosaminoglycans. In addition, vitamin C is also important for all connective tissue. There are many nutrients that may impact the inflammation in joints such as tart cherry juice and turmeric. But it begins with a good foundation, and that’s glucosamine.

Everything to date leads us to the final part of this series of living every day. I’ll cover that on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Observations from the Road: Ankle and Wrist Weights

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As I was running Sunday morning before the flight home from Denver, a woman about 60 was walking around the lake path. She had on the requisite earphones listening to something, bandana to keep her hair in place, and ankle weights. I don’t see them much anymore and that’s good. Research shows that they provide no benefit and in some cases, can cause harm.

The perceived benefit is that a person wearing ankle weights or carrying weights in their hands when they walk will get some additional benefit, perhaps increasing muscle strength or burning more calories. One would . . .

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Question Time: Cracking Knuckles

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Got an interesting question last weekend from a parent regarding her 13-year-old son: it seems every joint in his body snaps, crackles, and pops when he moves. That ties in with a question I’m asked all the time. Does “cracking” your knuckles harm the joints?

Let’s talk about the teenager first. My question to Mom was, “Does he say it hurts?” She said no. I said don’t worry about; he might make less noise if he worked on flexibility, but it shouldn’t be a problem. There’s always a possibility that one of the . . .

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If you're already a DrChet.com Member or Insider, click on the Membership Login link on the top menu. Members may upgrade to Insider by going to the Store and clicking Membership; your membership fee will be prorated automatically.