Posts Tagged ‘Strengthens’

Osteoarthritis(OA): a de-generative joint disorder – Risk Factors, Location and Symptoms

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disorder. It is a chronic disorder. There is no well established way to cure it. The goals to prevent osteoarthritis are to improve joint strength and movement, control pain, enjoy a healthy lifestyle and maintain an acceptable weight. Some factors that increase risk of osteoarthritis are:
- Age: People over 45 are at highest risk for osteoarthritis.
- Gender: Osteoarthritis occurs more frequently in women. Before 45 it hits men because of joint injuries. After 45 to 70 women predominate. After 70 both sexes are equally at risk.
- Obesity: Being overweight during midlife and later.
- Bad diet: Fatty, high cholesterol foods and alcohol.
- Joint misalignment: if joints move or fit together incorrectly such as bow legs or a dislocated hip.
- Genes: A defect in one of the genes responsible for the formation of collagen results in cartilage that is weaker and degrades faster.
- Lifestyle: Sports injury to knees and hips, walking barefoot on marble floors, ill fitting shoes etc.
- Weak muscles: They put too much strain in the joint leading to tears in the tendon.

Osteoarthritis (OA) can affect any joint in the body, some joints are more vulnerable than others. Most targeted areas are:
- fingers where bone spurs in the middle of the fingers digits produce characteristic swelling.
- knees and hips joints are most likely to produce severe pain and disability.
- neck and low back can be very troublesome.
- feet where it often singles out the joint at the base of the big toe.

Osteoarthritis can be capricious. Sometimes, pain is experienced even before the condition has progressed enough to produce x-ray abnormalities. But reverse is also possible; some individuals feel little or no discomfort even though their x-ray show advanced osteoarthritis. Pain usually begins gradually. It can be mild or severe. Although the pain is usually centered in the involved joint, it can also be referred to nearby areas. In case of osteoarthritis, morning stiffness is common but it usually resolves in twenty minutes. Stiffness after rest is also brief but patients with advanced osteoarthritis can be stiff and creaky for most of the day. People having painful joints tend to be inactive and the inactivity leads to another symptom muscle weakness.
It is a vicious cycle, but appropriate forms of exercise can break the chain of disability.

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Bring aerobics safely into your daily life to live healthy.

Aerobic means “with oxygen,” and it refers to activities of moderate intensity performed for an extended period of time. Aerobics are particularly helpful for weight control. Physical activity helps to control your weight by using excess calories that otherwise would be stored as fat. The number of calories you eat and use each day regulates your body weight. Everything you eat contains calories, and everything you do uses calories, including sleeping, breathing, and digesting food. Any physical activity in addition to what you normally do will use extra calories.
Following a regular aerobics program gives you a sense of commitment and control – two positive mental attitudes that help counteract stress. Aerobics also relax tense muscles, thereby relieving your body’s stress response. Aerobic exercise is any extended activity that makes you breathe hard while using the large muscle groups at a regular, even pace.

Health Benefits of Aerobics

- Aerobic exercise strengthens the heart and lungs, making breathing more efficient and improving the efficiency of the heart.
- Aerobic exercise tones muscles throughout the body, which can help reduce blood pressure.
- People who get regular aerobic exercise consume more oxygen and pump more blood with each beat.
- Blood supply to the muscles is increased, as well as their ability to use oxygen.
- Heart rate and blood pressure are lower in people who get regular aerobic exercise.
- HDL cholesterol (that’s the good stuff) is increased.
- Triglycerides in the blood—a risk factor for heart disease— are decreased.
- Body fat and weight can both be reduced by getting an hour of aerobic exercise a few times a week.
- Glucose tolerance and insulin resistance improve in those who regularly exercise, reducing the risk of diabetes.
- Mitochondria inside the muscle increase in number and activity. Mitochondria are the powerhouses of your cells. They do all the heavy-duty work to keep you moving.

Bring aerobics safely into your daily life

- Maintain a comfortable pace.
- Increase your workout in stages to get the most benefits with the fewest risks.
- Select activities that fit your personality and have an element of fun.
- Plan a workout schedule. To gain the most health benefits it is important to exercise as regularly as possible.
- Maximize your safety and comfort.
- Challenge yourself.
- Whether your goal is to control your weight or just to feel healthier, becoming physically active is a step in the right direction.