20 Tips to enhance bone and joint health

20 Tips to enhance bone and joint health 

Want to build strong bones and joints for the future? Then follow these 20 tips by Dr Ameet Pispati, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon & Specialist in Knee & Hip Replacement, Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre. Dr Ameet talks about different ways to enhance bone and joint health using diet, exercise and supplements.

Eat foods rich in calcium and vitamin D.

Calcium is the most important nutrient to ensure good health for your bones. Hence, boost calciumintake in your diet by including dairy products, bone fishes, broccoli, tofu, soy milk and cereals as they are excellent sources of calcium.

Nuts are another good food to deliver calcium for strong bones. Nuts like almonds, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds are a great source of calcium and other minerals. Hence, consume a handful of nuts in your diet to keep your bones strong and healthy.



Obtain sufficient vitamin K

Vitamin K is essential for proper calcium regulation, and bone formation. It increases bone mineral density, prevents fractures and works with vitamin D to promote good bone health. Hence, include vitamin k rich foods like dark green leafy vegetables and lettuces at least 1-3 times per week to reduce the risk of fracture.

Be physically active every day.

Physical activity contributes to bone health and improves balance, coordination, and muscle strength.At least 30 minutes a day of weight bearing and strengthening physical activity is recommended for adults, and 60 minutes a day is recommended for children.

Exercise for Healthy Joints.

Exercisecan help you lose extra pounds and maintain a healthy weight. Opt for exercises that won't give your joints a pounding. Instead of step aerobics, try low-impact exercises such as swimmingor bicycling.Don't sit still! Get up and get moving.

Maintain a healthy body weight throughout your life.

Being underweight increases the risk of bone loss, osteoporosis and fractures. Being overweight increases the risk of osteoarthritis (wear and tear of joints).

Build Muscles to Support Joints.

Strong muscles support your joints. If you don't have enough muscle, your joints take a pounding, especially your knees. Weight training exercises help build muscle and keep existing muscle and surrounding ligaments strong.

Perfect your Posture for Good Joints

Slouching is not good for your joints. Standing and sitting up straight protects your joints from your neck to your knees. Good posture also helps guard your hip joints and back muscles.

Avoid smoking

Smoking, heavy alcohol and contraband drugs reduce your bone mass and increase your risk for broken bones.

Limit alcohol intake

If you are used to drinking several glasses of alcohol, then reduce it for maintaining the health of your bones. Drinking more than 1-2 units of alcohol can result in loss of bone density by diminishing its mineral content and can put you at a risk of hip fracture and osteoporosis.

Joint repair supplements & Injections

Glucosamine, chondroitin, diacerein and collagen powder may be tried and help many people improve joint flexibility and reduce the pain. Knee injections such as steroids or gel injections may help in reducing pain and improving mobility.

Add supplements to your diet if you aren't getting enough from your meals and snacks. It is always appropriate to consult with your doctor before adding supplements or herbs.

Red flags (Warning!) In case of joint pains associated with weight loss, fever or skin rash, do consult a Rheumatologist promptly as these suggest a more serious type of arthritis.

Osteoarthritis walking programme.

Start slowly with realistic expectations. Aim for walking three times a week for the first two weeks. Start gradually and build up to 30 minutes on most days of the week.Tip - Grab a buddy/friend. Walking can be social. Walk in groups. It improves motivation.Listen to your body. When you are walking more frequently and more vigorously, there may be times when it's not a good idea to push it. "Know your limits."

Knee and Hip Replacement surgery.

Surgery helps by relieving pain, improving mobility and improving overall quality of life and is best performed when all the cartilage in the knee or hip is damaged, as at this stage, no other treatment is likely to work. Knee and Hip replacement patients are able to lead an active lifestyle after this surgery. Newer materials with minimally invasive surgery and modern techniques that we use enable the patient to recover rapidly and return as close to normal as possible.

Would you fly in an aeroplane that did not have an auto-pilot or navigation system??? Would you go on a Cruise ship that did not have a Navigation/GPS system??? The advantages of Computer Navigation: accurate positioning of hip & Knee replacement components, helps decide the correct size to be used, smaller cuts/ incisions can me made (Minimally invasive surgery) to allow faster recovery, reduced blood loss, longer life-span of the Joint replacement due to surgical accuracy.

Stem Cell Therapy.

Using the power of your own cells, this procedure may help you regain an active, pain-free lifestyle. Stem cells have the ability to become any tissue in the body. They act as a repair system for the body. Most stem cells are harvested from the patient's own bone marrow. We use stem cells harvested from the iliac crest (hip bone) of the patient or from the abdominal fat using anaesthetic and special small biopsy needle/ liposuction. Bone marrow (obtained from the iliac crest of the hip bone0 is a rich source of the stem cells, growth factors, and accessory cells. Recent technologic advances now provide the ability to highly concentrate these stem cells and growth factors.

An average adult needs approximately 1,000 to 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily. To get sufficient amount of vitamin D to maintain the health of your bones, expose yourself to the morning rays of sun. Do not overdo the exposure to the sunshine as it can also put you at skin cancer risk. If you are unable to get sufficient amount of sun, then speak to your doctor to prescribe some vitamin D supplement to ensure your daily needs

Include high-protein foods like eggs, salmon, lean meats, soy, beans and legumes in your diet. Proteinhelps in increasing bone mineral content, reduces the risk of fractures, constructs and preserves muscles, protects bones and joints and stimulates bone strength. Hence, include protein in your diet to ensure good health for your bones.

Practice abdominal exercises

An erect spine is essential for a good frame for the body. Hence practice various abdominal exercisesthat focus on core strengthening and lengthening. All such exercises will help to strengthen the muscles of the spine, which will provide more support, improve balance and prevent falls.

Vegetables all the way!

Include lots and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet, as they are rich in magnesium, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin K and vitamin B. All these essential nutrients help in ensuring the overall skeletal health by strengthening your bones and regenerating and regulating enzymes and various bone-building cells.

Prevent falls

One of the biggest causes of fracture is fall. Prevent falls if you want to prevent fracture and other bone damages. You can prevent falls by adopting simple steps like investing in good grips shoes, avoiding slippery soles, watch while you walk to avoid tripling, walk in a well lit road or use a torch in dark areas and improve your balance.

Presenting an easy to follow calcium rich vegetarian diet for better bone health:

Morning: 1 glass wheat grass, spinach or mint and coriander juice

Breakfast: Vegetable poha or 1 cup low fat milk with muesli or 2 slices whole wheat bread with peanut butter

Mid morn: A bowl of fruits

Lunch: Ragi or Jowar rotis or brown rice, spinach, vegetables, dal or pulse, low fat yoghurt

Evening: 1 cup unsweetened soy milk with a handful of nuts

Dinner: Vegetable soup, multigrain roti or brown rice, green salad with tofu and vegetables

Note: Include alfalfa sprouts, moong sprouts, broccoli, celery, carrots, tofu and low fat cottage cheese in the salads for variety as well as for enhancing calcium intake
.