That's according to Adam Goodcoff, an emergency medicine physician with nearly 2 million followers on TikTok whose mission is to disseminate high-quality medical information on social media.
“Joint health is one of the things you have to lose,” says Dr. Goodcoff. “Regression is bound to happen. It's part of life and part of how your body works. So the better we protect our joints when we are young, when pain and signs of arthritis and inflammation start to appear, [better] We have prepared ourselves for our future common selves.”
Recharge your joint health
Basically, a joint can be considered healthy when it is not noticeable at all. Joints where bones meet must have some space between them. Bones must be covered in cartilage, surrounded by sacs of fluid (called synovial fluid) that keep the cartilage well lubricated, and surrounded by tissues (muscles, tendons, ligaments, and fascia) that are not hard or stiff in any way. This can limit the mobility (aka range of motion) of the joint.
“The smooth surfaces of the joint glide, making it easy to move without pain,” explains Dr. Goodcoff. “We want to keep a standard joint space there and relax the tissues. [around the joint].”
However, over time or repeated use, the smoothness and frictionlessness of the joints may be impaired and the tissues may become less flexible. Small bone spurs may grow or the cartilage may wear away, making movement painful.
If moving a joint begins to hurt, you may begin to use it less, which can cause the tissue surrounding the joint to harden and become immobile. Underuse can also occur when you spend a lot of time sedentary. This lack of use can cause fluid to distribute less well within the joint, causing more friction and pain.
“It’s a vicious cycle. Unfortunately, as your joints deteriorate and you use them less, the stiffness and restrictions become more severe.”—Dr. Goodcorp
“It’s a vicious cycle. Unfortunately, as the joint deteriorates and the less you use it, the stiffness and restrictions become more severe,” says Dr. Goodcoff. “The synovial fluid does not move and does not resolve any type of inflammation or stiffness in the area. And those muscles will become even more tense, making the pain even worse. “It’s a negative feedback loop.”
How movement can keep your joints healthy as you age
Using your joints and surrounding tissues is actually the key to keeping your joints healthy.
“Stretching the muscle tissue, loosening the fibers, and getting blood flowing into that space can help restore some of your range of motion, which in turn helps restore joint function,” says Dr. Goodcoff. says:
If pain is preventing you from moving, Dr. Goodcoff recommends trying light stretching or using Aleve for back pain or arthritis to reduce inflammation. He also suggests incorporating stretching and exercise as a preventative measure, and he definitely recommends it as soon as you start experiencing pain, no matter how young you are.
“Typically, young people think, ‘Well, I’m not 65, I don’t have arthritis, I don’t need to worry about my joints,’” says Dr. Goodcoff. But that's not the case. Athletes who put a lot of strain on their joints; A person who sits for long periods of time; Or, if you have an injury on one side of your body (which can cause overcompensation on the other side), you should prioritize movements that activate the tissues around the joint. This will help you feel better every day and keep your joints healthy for as long as possible.
“Unfortunately, the nature of life and deterioration is that the body wears out,” says Dr. Goodcoff. “It is therefore your duty to protect your joints and provide good health for your joint spaces for as long as possible.”
Specific stretches and movements may vary from person to person, but for most people, morning stretching is the best way to incorporate joint-healthy movements into your day. Because sleep is actually a large period of daily immobility.
“Because we are relatively still sleeping, waking up and helping yourself relax and unwind during the day can help prevent injury and improve stiffness and soreness to some extent,” says Dr. Goodcoff. Also, if you spend most of your day in the same position, try stretching and resting for your joints. “We need to get up every hour and get some rest, get our blood flowing and our joints moving.”
Dr. Goodcoff recommends gentle backbends, twists, and side bends while sitting to prevent spinal immobility that occurs during sleep and rounding of the spine when bending toward the computer.
3 seated stretches for healthy joints
Try the following stretches while sitting in a chair or on the floor. Do you like this movement? We offer more spinal mobility exercises and mobility exercises for posture.
Thoracic spine retroflexion
- Sit in the center of the chair seat with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle and your knees over your ankles.
- Cross your arms in front of your chest and place your hands on your upper arms.
- Allow your head, shoulders, and upper back to roll gently over the back of the chair, moving only as much as is comfortable. Do not bend your back. Movements should be focused on the upper back. You should also feel a stretch in your thoracic spine and chest.
- Hold the stretched position for a few seconds, then carefully return to the starting position.
side bend
- Sit on the floor with your back straight and bring the soles of your feet together and pull them toward your body. Let your knees drop to the sides, forming your legs into a diamond shape. If this is uncomfortable, sit in a chair.
- Lightly hold your ankle or foot with your hand.
- Take a deep breath and contract your core muscles as you exhale.
- Raise your right arm overhead, keeping your elbow straight. Lean to the left and extend your right arm over your head to the left.
- Inhale and slowly lift your body to the center and lower your right arm down.
- Alternating aspects focused on maintaining smooth, controlled movements and deep breathing.
thoracic torsion
- Sit in the center of the chair seat with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle and your knees over your ankles.
- Raise your right hand and place it behind your head, elbow pointing to the side. Place your left hand on your left knee.
- Use your elbows to rotate your upper body across to the left.
- Open and twist your body to the right, looking backwards with your elbows pointed back at a 45-degree angle (or as much as your flexibility allows). This movement should come from your thoracic spine (upper back), not your lower back.
- To maximize the stretch, hold the position for a moment. It should be felt throughout the thoracic spine and chest.
- Slowly lower your elbows again and repeat.
- Now place your left hand behind your head and repeat the rotation. This time open to the left.