Joint Pain? 7 Exercises to keep your Bones, Ligaments and Tendons healthy

Joints are an extremely important part of the human anatomy because they are where two bones connect, thus allowing movement to be possible. The various joints in our bodies serve different purposes for various movements. The knee and elbow joints work like the opening and closing of a door, whereas the shoulder and hip joints enable our bodies to move in different directions and rotations. The human anatomy is vastly different within males and females. Men have larger and stronger bone and joint surfaces and have more bone at the muscle attachment sites. Women have naturally stronger pelvises, specifically for their ability to carry a child and experience the miracle of childbirth.  

Unfortunately, with the aging process and if you have had children in particular, it is not uncommon for individuals to feel more chronic aches and pains in their joints, as we develop greater stiffness and less flexibility. This is primarily because, with age, the amount of lubricating fluid inside our joints decreases and the cartilage becomes thinner. The ligaments typically shorten and lose flexibility and the joints lose the range of motion they once had. According to the Mayo Clinic, joint pain can be discomfort, pain or inflammation arising from any part of a joint — including cartilage, bone, ligaments, tendons or muscles. Most commonly, however, joint pain refers to arthritis or arthralgia, which is inflammation or pain from within the joint itself. Joint pain can be mild, causing soreness only after certain activities, or it can be severe, making even limited movement, particularly bearing weight, extremely painful.

As we age, it can be a bit challenging and distressing when we find ourselves having difficulty performing certain activities or tasks that used to come second nature.  For example, strenuous exercises and distance running might feel harder than before and this is because as our bodies lose muscle and bone mass.

The loss of muscle and bone mass can lead to the onset of osteopenia or worse osteoporosis, a condition  in which your bone mineral density decreases. It’s a silent condition, which means you don’t feel any symptoms. But if you are still reading, we want to help you get ahead of this risk with the exercises at the bottom of this article.

However, there are several ways we can help strengthen our joints and to prevent injuries by maintaining an active lifestyle. In addition to walking, running, and cycling, exercise for a strong core can be very important and effective when it comes to having healthy strong joints. If you struggle with joint pain and have a history of joint issues, lower impact exercises are a better option, such as swimming and biking because they put less stress on the joints, as opposed to running. Next week our own Mitch Patience is going to talk about frozen shoulder (a common occurence during perimenopause) and how to address it with traditional Chinese medicine.

Women will also lose up to half a pound of muscle per year during peri/menopause, which makes strength training one of the most important changes to incorporate and to maintain (including lunges and squats and adding heavier weights as you progress). Here are 7 exercises to keep joints healthy so we can continue to enjoy the activities and hobbies we love…

Simple at home core exercises…

1. Open Book

   1. Lie down on one side with both knees bent at a 90 degree angle

   2. Open up top arm and reach back feeling the stretch

   3. Your body should be in a “T” shape

   4. Rotate open on the inhale and rotate close on the exhale

2. Yoga - Cat/Cow

   1. Align yourself on hands and knees 

   2. Broaden your back tucking the tailbone so the back is founded 

   3. Release head downward to go into cat

3. Thread the Needle

   1. Begin on hands and knees, then extend one leg back

   2. Raise the opposite arm out to the side and then reach it across to the other armpit

   3. Twist in and out 15 times, then rest on the shoulder for an upper back stretch at the end

4. Bird Dog

   1. Begin on hands and knees and engage your core

   2. Pull your shoulders down and back lifting opposite arm with opposite leg

   3. Remain a flat back and hold for 60 seconds

In addition to core strengthening, resistance based strengthening and conditioning is very beneficial for muscles that move in alignment and support the healthy movement of the joints.

1. Squats

   As you lower your body pretend you are sitting down in a chair but it is very important your alignment is correct where your knees are not passing your toes and you stick your bottom out while keep your weight evenly distributed through the feet.

2. Lunges 

   Keep chest upright with knees pointing forward, step forward but keep the back heel lifted and don’t push the front knee over your big toe.

3. Warrior 

   Stand on one leg and slowly bend your body forward from the hip, raising your other leg directly straight behind you.

Once you have mastered the basic movements, incrementally add weight through dumbbells or kettlebells to increase the loading and resistance of your muscles.