YOUR JOINTS

yourThey bear the brunt of your day-to-day movement, so here’s how you can cushion and care for joints

BY JILL BUCHNER

ARE YOU A MICROKLUTZ?

You could be born predisposed to joint problems, says Alex Scott, assistant professor in the physical therapy department at the University of British Columbia and researcher at the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility in Vancouver. “Some of us are microklutzes,” he says. “We don’t move as fluidly or as effectively as others naturally do, so we’re placing more strain than we need to on our joints.” It could be that you have flat feet or inward-turned knees, or maybe you just land harder on your feet. To find out if your joints are taking a beating, have a gait analysis done, then, if necessary, talk to a physiotherapist about corrective exercises that can help you move more effectively.

5 7 TO

That’s how many times more likely you are to develop osteoarthritis in your knee if you’ve had a previous knee injury.

4X

THE REASON TO SLIM DOWN A study published in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism tracked the impact of weight loss on the joints of obese and overweight patients with osteoarthritis. For every pound each person lost, the pressure on the knees was reduced by four pounds.

STRETCH IT OUT

Think of the movements we make most often: We bend our knees when sitting and curl our fingers when typing—we’re always flexing forward. “Lots of people wear out their joints because they’re constantly flexing; they never do extension,” says Maria Kristina Antonious, registered physiotherapist and clinic director at Pro Physio in Ottawa. Set up a time in your day to actively move your joints in the reverse direction. Straighten your legs, pull your fingers back until there’s resistance and swing your arms all the way up while arching your back.

MUSCLE MATTERS

Strong muscles save your joints from being hammered too hard, but it’s particularly important to have a strong core and glutes to take the pressure off your hips and knees, says Antonious. “Your core and your glutes are your powerhouses,” she says. “If your core is weak, your quads have to work harder, your hamstrings have to work harder, your hip muscles have to work harder.” The same goes for your glutes. All of this can lead to loading too much weight on a certain part of a joint, which is a sure way to cause injury.

GET EXERCISES TO

STRENGTHEN THESE MUSCLES AND PREVENT JOINT INJURIES AT canadian living.com/jointprotection.

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