You must have seen your grandmother or mother suffer from arthritis discomfort. Is it so?
If yes, now you’re crossing your fingers that you didn’t win the genetic lottery that determines who gets inherited diseases like arthritis.
The good news is!
Your lifestyle has an impact on your risk of developing arthritis, in addition to your genetics.
That means you may lower your risk of developing this terrible disease by changing your lifestyle today.
Table of Contents
Is Arthritis Curable?
Arthritis is a term used to describe joint pain or disease. In the United States, more than 50 million adults and 300,000 children suffer from over 100 different forms of arthritis.
The majority of forms common in women are:
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Fibromyalgia
Males are more likely to develop gout.
Now the question is, ‘is arthritis curable or is it preventable?’.
Well, some types of arthritis can be avoided by making some routine adjustments that can help to prevent or decrease the onset of this condition.
So, what are those routine adjustments or lifestyle changes?
We’ll look at them in this blog to know how to prevent arthritis for as long as possible.
Keep reading!
Lifestyle Changes to Prevent Arthritis
These are the precise lifestyle adjustments you can adopt right now to protect the cartilage in your joints, minimise inflammation, and avoid the various problems connected with arthritis:
Also get to know about home remedies for knee joint pain.
1- Weight Management
According to the top reviewed Orthopedic Surgeon in Lahore, Dr. Afzal Hussain“A few more pounds may seem inconsequential. But each pound adds four pounds of stress to the knees and increases hip strain. This pressure then causes the degradation of cartilage that cushions the joints.”
In addition, fat cells produce cytokines that cause inflammation in the body. Also, the accelerated degradation of cartilage in the joints is caused by these cytokines.
The production of cytokines increases as a person’s weight rises, hastening the destruction of irreplaceable cartilage.
Therefore, it is essential to maintain a healthy weight with diet and exercise to prevent arthritis.
2- Do Some Exercise
Physical activity is one of the most effective strategies to keep arthritis at bay.
To keep joints flexible and help strengthen the muscles that support them, it is suggested to do 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise five times a week.
Walking, performing tasks around the house, or playing with children and pets are all good ways to get some exercise. Working out consistently, on the other hand, will yield the best results.
How to prevent arthritis with exercise? There are four types of exercise that you should include in your routine. These are:
- Aerobic exercises
- Strengthen exercises such as leg extensions and table pushups
- Flexibility exercises such as overhead reach and quadriceps exercises
- Balance exercises
To get to know which exercise is best according to your fitness level, you can consult with the best physiotherapist via Healthwire.pk. You can make an appointment by calling at 042 32500989.
3- Quit Smoking
According to the CDC, people who smoke are at a higher risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis.
Furthermore, smoking can also cause lung and circulation issues. It makes it harder to maintain an active lifestyle. This can hinder movement, such as exercise, which keeps joints flexible and improves the muscles that support them.
4- Watch Your Blood Sugar
Arthritis and diabetes have a symbiotic relationship.
How?
- Obesity, a lack of activity, and age are all risk factors for both arthritis and diabetes.
- Another reason is that elevated blood sugar levels can cause the body to be in a continual state of low-grade inflammation.
- Diabetes also adds to the development of reactive oxygen species (ROS). These species aid in the production of cytokines, inflammatory proteins that cause arthritis progression.
According to a review study, people with diabetes type 2, even if they are not overweight, are more likely to develop osteoarthritis.
Therefore, it’s critical to get frequent blood sugar readings and treat diabetes to avoid consequences like nerve and eye damage. Treatment for diabetes may also help to protect your joints by decreasing the progression of OA.
5- Follow An Anti-inflammatory Diet
An anti-inflammatory diet can help you maintain a healthy weight as well as minimise inflammation. An anti-inflammatory diet can be approached in a variety of ways, with varying levels of dietary restrictions.
So, how to prevent arthritis with an anti-inflammatory diet? In general, you should:
- Consume fresh fruits and veggies
- Eat entire grains such as oats, barley, corn, rice, etc.
- Consume lean protein
- Have low fat dairy for improving bone strength and density
- Drink green tea to get antioxidants
- Eat garlic to prevent damage to garlic
- Consume citrus fruit to get vitamin C that prevents inflammatory arthritis
Furthermore, a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids can help women avoid developing rheumatoid arthritis. A wide range of foods containing omega-3s include:
- Fish particularly salmon, tuna, and sardines
- Nuts and seeds like chia, walnuts, and chia seeds
- Plant oils like that of soybean, canola, and flaxseeds
- Fortified foods like eggs, milk, and yoghurt
Also know about best diet plans for weight loss.
6- Food to Avoid for Arthritis
Eating anti-inflammatory foods, you need to avoid some foods that can worsen your arthritis. This will not only only relieve you from arthritis symptoms but also prevent it.
These foods to avoid for arthritis include:
- Processed foods such as baked items
- Refined sugar such as cakes, ice-cream, pastries, candy, soda, etc.
- Red meat and fried foods
- Refined carbohydrates such as white bread
- Cheese and high fat dairy
- Alcohol
Compiling The Whole Blog….
Arthritis is a term used to describe joint pain or disease. There are many different varieties of arthritis. Individuals’ genetics play a role in whether or not they get the disease.
So, how to prevent arthritis? Diet, exercise, and quitting smoking are all important factors in avoiding arthritis. A person can try to eat a low-fat, anti-inflammatory, and omega-3-fatty-acid-rich diet.
They should exercise often to keep joints functioning and maintain a healthy weight. Avoiding or attempting to quit smoking is another significant approach to lower the risk of developing arthritis.
However, if a person experiences discomfort in a joint, they should immediately seek medical help.
