Last Updated on August 29, 2021
We all strive to improve wellness and health but often keep postponing it. Today, we would look at the things we need to do to improve wellness and its impact on the reduction of orthopedic ailments.
Orthopedics is a branch that deals in bones and joint disorders. This includes injuries, congenital malformation, wear and tear diseases like osteoarthritis, and other musculoskeletal ailments.
It might come as a surprise that quite a number of these diseases are preventable by keeping good health.
For example, osteoarthritis results from wear and tear of the joints with age. But if one her weight in control and exercises, it can be delayed by many years.
That saves a lot of discomforts, medication intake, and many early surgeries like knee replacement. Not to mention the saving of cost and reduction in morbidity while at the same time making one more productive and useful to society.
Simply put, most of the degenerative diseases like cervical spondylitis, back pain, knee pain are hastened and exacerbated by poor health. So if we concentrate on improving our wellness and health, it rewards us manifold.
The modern lifestyle is aided by automatic machines. We have our needs delivered at the doorstep. We have the machinery to look after our chores.
But that has also resulted in doing lesser work than our previous generation.
As a result, we sit more and move less.
Imagine someone who was working physically from dawn to dusk – working in fields, drawing out water from the well, cutting the woods, washing clothes, tending the animals, etc.
Modern-day lifestyles have started showing their ugly side. We sit in the office, we sit at the home, we sit for enjoyment and we eat to cope with the stress life throws at us.
Our lifestyle has taken away work from our bodies and we are paying by lifestyle diseases like diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, etc.
Simply put we need to add a little style to our lifestyle.
Wellness is governed by the following factors
- Healthy diet
- Good exercise
- Moderation of indulgences
- Proper sleep
- Stress-free routine
Therefore, we must work on these to improve wellness.
Exercise and healthy habits have a direct effect on muscle strength, joint flexibility, and bone density.
A healthy body weight leads to a reduced risk of degenerative diseases and also aids in preventing injuries by offering better control of the body.
You are the Centerpoint of Wellness
The beauty of wellness is that it can be done only by you. You can take a guide or help but you are the doer.
Therefore, you should expand the horizon of your understanding to improve wellness and prevent orthopedic issues.
In the end, I am going to leave you with few general tips about how to improve wellness and prevent orthopedic problems.
At BoneAndSpine.com, I am starting to expand the section on wellness. My main focus is on orthopedic wellness but we cannot per se work on compartments of wellness. All the systems of the body are interwoven and interconnected, so it goes without saying that you need to have a holistic build-up of wellness.
Therefore other parts would be covered as well.
In coming times, you would see more and more articles on preventive orthopedics and wellness improvement articles.
For a long time, I have restricted the website to just about orthopedic injuries and diseases. But as I often tell my patients, preventive steps go a long way.
So let us understand the core points of orthopedic wellness. You might consider them as preventive tips as well.
Tips to Improve Wellness and Decrease Orthopedic Ailments
Maintain a healthy weight
Do you know that every gain of 5 kilos leads to an increase of more than 30% risk for developing osteoarthritis?
Being overweight or obese puts more weight on your joints. This leads to weak muscles and also increases risk of injuries.
Movement, Movement, Movement
During my hospital construction, when I saw that 65 years old mason working under the sun without tiring and saw his eating that never cared for calories, I kind of envied him.
Frankly speaking, he was many times healthier than most of thirty years old at that time, including me.
His work kept him healthy.
No! I am not recommending to leave your job and start physical work.
But bring in your daily routine that this body is made for – the movement.
Keep moving the whole day by breaking your prolonged sitting habits. Go for a walk for 5 minutes intermittently. Get from chair often to do the jobs and reduce delegating the work.
Another example is to take stairs instead of the lift. Park farthest so that you can walk more.
Exercise
Consume what you eat and more if you want to lose weight. Walking, jogging, running, walking on a treadmill, gym exercises, and so on. There are many options to choose from and you can challenge yourself as per your liking.
Do not overstress yourself. But keep building muscle mass no matter what your age is.
Warm-up and Stretch
Many injuries during workouts can be avoided by a simple warm-up and stretching exercises. So do not forget to inculcate an exercise routine, where warming up and stretching exercises are a must. These increase flexibility and help prevent muscle and joint injuries.
Build Core Muscles
Core muscles include hip, abdomen, pelvis, and back muscles. Strong core muscles help you balance your body weight.
Yoga and Pilates are supposedly the best core exercises.
Footwear
Wear footwear that is easy on the feet and protects from external forces. A good shoe helps the foot to maintain the foot alignment so that it is least stressed while walking or jogging.
Get regular consultations
This is especially for elder people. Get examined on a yearly or earlier basis for your existing ailments and discuss further preventive measures if feasible.
Optimize Your Environments
Keep your home and workplace health-friendly. Ergonomics go a long way in assisting and attaining good posture.
For example, prefer a standing workstation over a sitting one. If your job includes repetitive motion, take frequent breaks.
For heavy lifting learn the proper way to use the core muscles
For Elderly People
Optimization of homes for older people is necessary. This would make their navigation easy and prevent injuries.
Older adults need a supportive and secure environment. Following are a few of many ideas that can be used for this purpose.
- Installing handrails in hallways
- Nonslip flooring
- Bathroom chairs
- Install railing and grips in bathroom
- Extra supports around the toilet seat
- Walking aids
