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How to Look after Your Hips and Knees and Stay Active?

 Wed, May 01 2024

Reading time: 6 mins

Did you ever experience soreness in your hips and knees or feel stiff more often? More or less every older person has experienced this. So, how do you stay active, and why does it matter for your health?

Staying active is a habit. However, making this habit requires strong determination. We know that NETFLIX is killing you to watch the next binge-worthy series or when the weather is stormy, and you want to eat a large pizza.

Whatever the scenario, you must follow a healthy lifestyle to avoid hip and knee aches. This blog will discuss looking after your hips and knees and to Stay Active. Let’s continue to read this to learn the tips!

What is Osteoarthritis?

Did you know osteoarthritis affects millions of people across the United Kingdom? It is a disease that affects the entire joint structure. Osteoarthritis is also called as degenerative joint disease or degenerative arthritis.

It can affect any joint, but it occurs most commonly in the weight bearing joints such as knees, hips, shoulders, cervical spine (neck) or the hand. Knee osteoarthritis involves the deterioration of the articular cartilage of the knee. The most common cause of osteoarthritis is prolonged mechanical damage and loss of the smooth articular cartilage of knee joints. These changes are progressive and typically worsen over time.

Common symptoms include:

  • Joint stiffness usually occurs in the morning after waking or after resting for a period. Stiffness lasts for less than 30 minutes.
  • Pain while using the joint which improves with rest.
  • Swelling of the affected joint.
  • Weakness of the joint.

9 Tips for Healthy Knees and Hips

Maintain a Healthy Weight

Maintaining a healthy weight is essential to avoiding joint pain especially of the weight bearing joint such as knee. We encourage you to focus on the foods you should eat more of. Nutrition is crucial to physical fitness, providing the body with the necessary nutrients for muscle repair, energy production, and overall health.

A balanced diet rich in vitamins and healthy fats supports muscle growth, enhances joint pain recovery, and improves endurance after exercise. Proper hydration is also essential for avoiding joint pain. Maintaining a healthy body weight through nutrition also helps reduce the risk of knee and hip pain. Ask yourself if you are getting enough of this to support your daily nutrition needs and keep fit.

Treat Injuries Promptly

Joint injuries can be painful and affect daily life. These issues often result from accidents or sports. Effective treatment is crucial for recovery, whether a strain, sprain, or more severe damage or osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis may develop in a joint following an injury such as a fracture, strains, repeated stress of the affected joint as in sports. Avoid activities like sports, high-impact aerobics, or jogging in case of pain.

Physiotherapy might be your answer if you are battling hip or knee osteoarthritis. Discover the causes, from age and genetics to joint injuries.

Also, know the benefits of physiotherapy treatments. Schedule a one-on-one consultation with health clinic experts for tailored treatment plans and personalised advice. Don’t let osteoarthritis limit your mobility!

Practice Good Posture

Good posture is essential to avoiding joint pain and stability of the joint. Your mother was right—posture is necessary. Sit up straight! We are sure we all heard these words more than once from our mother when we were growing up.

Posture refers to the body’s alignment and positioning. Whether sitting, standing, or lying down, gravity exerts a force on our joints, muscles, and ligaments. Good posture entails distributing the force of gravity through our body.

Being aware of good posture is the first step to breaking old poor posture habits and reducing strain on your spine and joints. Be mindful of your posture at all times!

Stretch Your Muscles

Did you know that holding the frog pose for a minute can strengthen your hips and adductor (inner thighs) muscles? Make a point of having the frog pose as often and as long as possible. You can even do it on the living room floor while watching TV.

To strengthen adductor muscles, lay on your side and bring your leg straight up as high as your muscle can without causing further pain and damage. Make sure to keep your leg as straight as possible. It will help improve blood flow and joint recovery and keep your muscles more flexible.

Choose the right footwear!

Choosing the right shoe to protect your knees and hips is critical, mainly when joint pains occur. Wearing flip-flops for sunbathing at the beach or high heels for dinner is fine, but they would be a poor shoe choice for your daily walk. In case of osteoarthritis high heels should be avoided at all costs as they aggravate the pain and stability of the joint. Knee care is a top priority, and selecting appropriate footwear is one of the essential things to do to avoid knee pain.

Not all shoes are created equal. They differ in design, which can influence your knee health. When shopping for shoes, pay attention to how they work with your foot.

Be Good to Your Bones

Many people don’t even think about their bones until they break one. Maintaining strong bones and flexible joints is essential as you age. This allows you to continue enjoying a fit and active lifestyle.

So, ladies and gentlemen, if you are over 40 and suffering from joint pain, exercise should be your priority. Swimming and bike riding are great for your muscles but will not help bone density. The best activities are weight-bearing, such as walking, running, dancing, and strength training. While it can take years to build our bones to good health with weight-bearing exercise, the good news is that it’s never too late to take better care of your bones to prevent joint aches.

Extra care as to calcium intake especially in menopausal women is need to overcome impact of low oestrogen levels such as osteoporosis and weak bones during menopause.

Pay Attention to Pain

Pain is like a flashing light, and sometimes, if you pay attention to its message, the light stops flashing. Sometimes, it is a message to take care of yourself, which might mean seeing a doctor. Pay attention during your workout.

If something doesn’t feel right, modify or stop the exercise. Pushing through the pain can lead to severe injury. Prioritise your physical health and consult the right healthcare professionals.

This will give you long-term relief. Tears of pain and frustration will be replaced with happiness and relief. Visit a doctor; we promise you will find your second wind to keep going.

Protect joints from injury!

If you have an osteoarthritis knee, any injury can cause further damage to the joint. Any exertion on the joint can worsen the pain. Avoid activities like weightlifting, high-impact aerobic exercises or high intensity sports. Do moderate exercises after the pain episodes have subsided under the supervision of an expert. This helps to overcome joint stiffness and improves mobility without further damage.

Orthopaedic Treatment Options for Damaged Hips and Knees

Say goodbye to hip and knee pain and discover relief with orthopaedic treatment.

Knee Arthroscopy

Knee arthroscopy is one of the most effective and safest procedures for knee injuries and chronic knee pain. This procedure can help relieve pain, improve mobility, and help you maintain your quality of life. Here are some benefits of knee Arthroscopy -

  • Faster recovery and healing time

  • The complication rate after surgery is meagre

  • shorter hospital stay

  • Less painful

Total Hip Replacement

Hip replacement surgery, also called hip arthroplasty surgery, is a surgical procedure to address hip pain. The surgery replaces parts of the hip joint with artificial implants. The hip joint consists of a ball (at the top of the femur, also known as the thigh bone) and a socket (in the pelvis, also known as the hip bone).

Hip replacement surgery includes the replacement of one or both parts. Here are some benefits of hip replacement surgery -

  • Faster recovery

  • Better movement

  • shorter hospital stay

  • Decreased risk of hip relocation

  • Less post-operative pain

When should you call an orthopaedic surgeon for hip and knee pain?

Although taking control of your knee and hip health significantly reduces your chances of pain, it can still happen. If you notice that you are having more pain that concerns you, it is good to visit an orthopaedic surgeon. A trip to an orthopaedic surgeon doesn’t always mean surgery. For many patients, conservative approaches, including physical therapy, exercises, and steroid injections, can keep you on your feet, ready for all the action.

We proudly welcome you to all aspects of orthopaedic non-surgical and surgical care for knee and hip injuries. We offer multiple treatment options. We like to involve our patients in their treatment plans, leading to better outcomes and greater patient satisfaction.