Don’t Take Your Aching Joints Lying Down

Early in my career I was at a seminar given by a talented physical therapist named Tom Purvis.  Something he said has always stayed with me: “What is the most important part of the human body to consider if you want to live a long life?” Almost all of us responded by saying that the heart, or specifically a healthy cardiovascular system, was most important.  He challenged us to reconsider that it is our joints and muscles.  Joints and muscles drive our cardiovascular system, as well as our nervous system and pretty much every other system. Without the ability to move well, it is very difficult to truly be healthy.  So, prioritizing good joint health makes a lot of sense to me when thinking about long-term health outcomes.

 A large number of my clients suffer from degenerative joint disease or osteoarthritis.  Osteoarthritis hurts our joints and plays with our psyches.  Not being able to perform at the level we are accustomed to and being in pain is really tough psychologically.  We are a hard-driving group here in Aspen and staying as active as we can for as long as we can is usually priority #1.  Let’s take a look at what we can do for OA.

There are two types of arthritis: osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Between 20 million-27 million Americans suffer from osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis, which is much less common, affects about 1.7 million Americans. RA is an autoimmune disease and is systemic; it affects different organs of the body along with joints. Osteoarthritis is localized to a particular joint caused by previous trauma or wear and tear from repetitive activity, and from excess body weight.  According to Dr. Roland Moskowitz, a rheumatologist at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, “Every extra pound increases the stress across the knee joint three to five times.” Osteoarthritis accounts for about 95% of knee replacements and 80% of hip replacements here in the U.S.

Proper exercise is key when it comes to managing the pain of osteoarthritis.  Strong muscles help support arthritic joints, and maintaining mobility is crucial for decreasing pain and increasing function.  If you have been putting off resistance training, now is the time to start.  Just two days per week of a focused and progressive program will work wonders for increasing strength, which helps prevent further damage to your affected joint. The program can also include mobility and balance exercises. Good joint mobility and balance will also protect the joints and prevent future injuries.

Activities that include quick changes of direction like tennis or basketball can be tough on arthritic joints. Trail running can be tough because of the unstable and uneven surfaces of the trail while generating impact.  Hiking, cycling and swimming are usually better choices.

A surprising contributor to OA is the standard American diet.  A diet high in processed meats, red meats, dairy products, refined carbohydrates, fruit juices and soda, trans fats and alcohol creates inflammation. The same inflammatory diet that causes heart disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer also contributes to the inflammation of osteoarthritis. A diet high in fruits and vegetables, legumes and nuts and seeds is anti-inflammatory.  Among the 54,000 women the Nurses’ Health Study followed for 16 years, those who consumed the most vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts, legumes, omega-3 and polyunsaturated fats, and the least sugar-sweetened drinks, fruit juice, red and processed meats, trans fats, sodium and alcohol, were more likely to stay active.

So if we want to prevent or manage OA, we need to be smart about our diet and exercise program. Eat a diet high in health-promoting foods, focus on muscular strength, mobility and balance and be smart about your exercise choices.