You are never too young or too old to begin improving your orthopedic health. Keeping your joints, bones, and other bodily tissues healthy is paramount to preventing problems further down the line and for keeping you as fit and as healthy as possible. Follow these simple tips to improve your orthopaedic health.
Exercise Regularly
Exercise doesn’t have to mean running a marathon. Low impact activities that put less stress on joints, such as swimming, riding a bike, or going for a walk, can be greatly beneficial to keeping your body healthy. Keeping active can help to strengthen bones and muscles and slow the loss of bone density that often occurs as you age. For older adults, exercises that involve muscle strengthening and balance, such as tai chi, can help to improve balance and stability and reduce the chance of falls and fall-related injuries.
Keeping as active as possible can have a number of other benefits including improving mood and sleep, keeping the heart and other organs healthy, and helping control weight and prevent obesity. Obesity can put added stress on joints and lead to conditions such as osteoarthritis.
Maintain A Healthy Diet
Nutrition is vital in keeping the whole-body system healthy. A healthy and nutritious diet can help to prevent obesity and improve heart health. Vitamins such as calcium and vitamin D are essential for keeping bones strong. A lack of calcium can lead to low bone density and increase the risk of bone diseases such as osteoporosis. Foods such as dairy products (cheese, yogurt, and low fat milk), green leafy vegetables, soybeans, sardines, and fortified cereals contain calcium, which is important for bone health. Vitamin D helps to regulate the amount of calcium in your body. Although you primarily get vitamin D from sunlight, this is not always possible depending on where you live. Vitamin D levels can be increased with supplements and foods such as oily fish (sardines, salmon), red meat, eggs, and foods fortified with vitamin D, such as some breakfast cereals.
Improve Your Posture
Poor posture puts the entire skeletal system out of position and disrupts the alignment of the spine. It can put pressure on joints and bones and lead to a number of conditions, such as back and neck pain, headaches, and knee problems. Practicing good posture throughout your life and developing a strong core can strengthen the muscles, help balance out the pressure on joints and bones, and prevent problems later on. Activities such as yoga and Pilates can be great ways to strengthen your core and promote orthopaedic health.
Have Regular Check-ups
Annual health and wellness check-ups with your doctor can be a good way to stay on top of your orthopaedic health. It can help to identify any potential problems that may need some attention and be a chance for your doctor to recommend any preventative health measures to protect your orthopaedic and overall health. This is particularly important for older adults who are at higher risk of injuries and conditions such as arthritis. Always seek medical attention if you have persistent joint pain or an orthopaedic condition or injury, as delaying treatment may make the problem worse.
Comprehensive Orthopaedic Care in South Florida
At Total Orthopaedic Care, we provide comprehensive orthopaedic care and services for people of all ages and in all stages of life. Our services include general orthopedics, sports medicine, fracture care, hand and wrist treatment, total joint reconstruction, advanced arthroscopic procedures, PRP and biologic therapies, and more. Our board-certified and fellowship-trained physicians can provide the compassionate, focused care you need to help you get back to where you want to be.
To find out more about our services, or to book a consultation, call us at (954) 735-3535 or you can use our secure online appointment request form. We have two convenient offices in Pembroke Pines and Lauderdale Lakes to serve residents of Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties, as well as the surrounding areas.
