6 Things You Should Avoid Doing When Having Joint Pain
6 things you should avoid doing when having joint pain
- Overdoing it: It’s tempting to push through the pain and keep exercising or doing your normal activities, but this can actually make the pain worse. If you have joint pain, it’s important to listen to your body and rest when you need to.
- Not staying active: On the other hand, too much rest can also make joint pain worse. It’s important to stay active, but do so in a way that doesn’t aggravate your pain. Low-impact exercises, such as swimming, walking, or yoga, are a good option.
- Lifting heavy objects: Lifting heavy objects can put a lot of strain on your joints, so it’s best to avoid it if you have joint pain. If you must lift something heavy, use proper lifting techniques to avoid injury.
- Slouching: Slouching puts a lot of stress on your joints, especially your back and neck. Make sure to sit up straight and stand tall to reduce the strain on your joints.
- Not wearing supportive shoes: Wearing supportive shoes can help to reduce the impact on your joints when you walk or run. If you have joint pain, it’s important to wear shoes that provide good arch support and cushioning.
- To safeguard your joints, strengthen and stretch: Your joints are held in place and supported for pain-free movement by tendons, ligaments, and muscles that are strong and flexible. A well-balanced strengthening and flexibility routine that targets the calf, thigh, back, shoulder, and other muscular groups should be a part of your workouts. When exercising, maintain proper body mechanics and posture. The smooth operation of your joints and soft tissue structures depends on optimal body alignment. This is true for typical chores like watching television or using a computer for work or play, lifting weights in the gym, or unloading groceries.
Here are some additional things you should avoid doing when you have joint pain:
- Smoking can damage your joints and make joint pain worse.
- Gaining weight. Extra weight puts more stress on your joints, so it’s important to maintain a healthy weight.
- Not getting enough sleep. When you’re well-rested, your body is better able to heal and repair itself.
- Stress can make joint pain worse. Find healthy ways to manage stress, such as exercise, yoga, or meditation.