It is thanks to the joints that we are able to move so easily. Today we will present the most interesting facts about this very important part of our body.
Every day, the human body makes thousands of movements. This is easy enough for us, especially at a young age, so we don’t think about how this freedom of action is ensured.
We owe this to our joints and to you - the cartilaginous pads in the joints of our skeleton.
“They are the ones that reduce friction between bones and serve as natural shock absorbers that soften shock loads,” says Vladimir Merkulov, Doctor of Medical Sciences (pictured).
Running isn't always good for you
In the course of evolution, the human skeleton has acquired many features that make it easier for us to run, jump, step fast and other ways of moving.
This is largely due to our joints, which, due to their elasticity, absorb shock loads that inevitably occur during movement. Their cartilaginous tissue can withstand up to a ton of pressure.
Surprisingly, one of the most common sports used to improve endurance and body health negatively affects the health of the joints.
- This is especially evident if running is carried out with a violation of technique - on the heel, - says sports medicine doctor, orthopedist Grigory Kovalev. - In this case, the joints of the legs and spine experience shock loads, which gradually destroy the cartilaginous tissue and lead to arthrosis.
For the same reasons, orthopedic surgeons recommend caution in squatting.
“To reduce the load on the joint, it is necessary to wear special shoes with heels or put a block of 1–1.5 centimeters under the heel,” says Grigory Kovalev.
In the morning we are higher
Cartilage is highly elastic and resilient. During the day, it is compressed by the weight of the human body, so in the evening we are about 1 cm lower than in the morning. Overnight, the cartilage tissue regains its previous thickness and regenerates, so growth is restored to its natural level.
The most agile
The shoulder has the greatest degree of freedom of the joints of the human body. This is possible due to the spherical shape of this joint, which allows the arm to move in various planes. Biomechanically, the design of the shoulder joint is extremely optimized, which plays a huge role in human performance.
Do not offer smoked products
To prolong the youthfulness of the joints and their mobility, the following should be excluded from the diet: meat of fatty species, dried fish, smoked foods and beans; carbonated drinks and sweet pastries; products containing phosphate, which, accumulating in the joints, and provokes osteoporosis (crab sticks, condensed milk, dough with baking powder, alcohol); sorrel, radish, spinach - they contain oxalic acid; foods containing purine - found in coffee, tea, and chocolate.
Disease of Kings
This is how one of the most common joint diseases, gout, was called in past eras. The cause of the pathology is the deposition of uric acid salts in the joints, which is metabolized from purines. These compounds enter the body with meat, fatty and spicy foods, alcohol and other food products that were available in those days only to aristocrats and simply rich people.
- If you want to avoid gout, choose lean meat and eat it with herbs. It contains a lot of fiber, which removes excess animal fat from the body, advises Elena Solomatina.
Taking care of joints, add dairy products, nuts, cauliflower to the diet.
REFERENCE
Patients with arthritis begin to feel much worse during humid, low-pressure weather. Conversely, dry weather and high blood pressure are favorable factors for sore joints. Therefore, when going on vacation to another city, try to choose a period of sunny warm weather.