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Joint Health Is a very big deal There is no way to keep moving, and to Walk a Healthy Path, if your joints are stiff and stiff. It seems that joint health is becoming a problem for people at younger ages. Many causes lead to joint pain in all parts of the body. If you think about it, our joints are what hold us together and keep us moving. Without healthy joints, we can experience occasional pain at best or chronic serious pain at worst. A joint should be a well oiled, well padded machine, something we are born with but deteriorates over time. Joint health depends on more than just two bones moving together to make a joint. A healthy joint is held together by ligaments and tendons, is padded by cartridge which is attached to the ends of both bones and the synovial membrane that protects the ball of the joint, with synovial fluid. This is best illustrated by this drawing [link to drawing]. (credit Rochester University Medical Center) Nothing could possibly go wrong with this scenario, right? To further complicate this already complicated subject, I bet you didn’t know that there are actually 4 different kinds of joints in the human body, all having different jobs. I know, I didn’t realize that either. I think we all lump the term “joints” into the most well known ball and socket type, which include the shoulder, and hip joints. These joints allow backward, forward, sideways, and rotating movements. As we get older, these are the joints that typically fail, for one reason or another. More about that later. Another type of joint is the hinged joint, such as those in the fingers, knees, elbows, and toes, they allow only bending and straightening movements. So, when your hands ache, that would be the hinged joints that are angry in the mornings, when you first get moving. Arthritis is very common in these joints. Another joint, one that allows limited rotation such as in the neck, is known as a pivot joint. Ellipsoidal joints, such as the wrist joint allow all types of movement except a pivotal movement As we get older, the wear and tear on our joints takes its toll on our overall health, creating stiffness and sometimes chronic pain. This makes exercise difficult, which can lead to weight gain and muscle loss. Joint issues can be caused by several things, such as sports injuries suffered years before, osteoarthritis, the deterioration of the cartilage that pads a joint socket, or inflammation of the tendons and ligaments that support the joints. If you start experiencing joint pain, or even before that, there are supplements that are commonly recommended which may slow the damage caused by inflammation and deterioration of the cartilage that pads the joints. According to an arthritis guide, written by WebMD, https://www.webmd.com/arthritis/arthritis-guide there are several supplements that might help. Glucosamine Chondroitin is probably the most widely known joint health supplement. It is thought to be an anti-inflammatory and some research shows that it can relieve low to moderate pain in some people. Curcumin, the active ingredient in the spice Turmeric, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties and some research suggests that it may actually be more effective than anti-inflammatory drugs. For more information regarding the use of supplements for joint health, go the the WebMD link. On the other end of the joint treatments spectrum would be joint replacement, considered the last resort but at some point, may be considered unavoidable. In between the use of supplements and the last resort of joint replacement, there are a number of other treatments being developed that have great promise. A fairly new mode of treatment for chronic joint pain are regenerative medicine therapies, seeks to replace tissue or organs that have been damaged by age, disease, trauma, or congenital issues. These treatments include Stem Cell therapy, Placement Rich Plasma or PRP, Prolon Therapy and Amniotic tissue injections. These treatments are used by Drs who specialize in treating chronic joint pain. They will usually start with more conservative treatments such as ant-inflammatory drugs, physical therapy , ice , rest and possibly weight loss before moving on to these regenerative medicine therapies. A good source for learning more about these treatments would be the Arthritis foundation at https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/treatment/joint-surgery/preplanning/the-future-of-joint-repair Several years ago, I was treated with Stem Cell therapy and PRP, for a lower back problem. It is quite expensive and, at the time , was not covered by health insurance. That is something to look into, if you think you might want to go that route. The last resort, joint replacement, is accepted as a viable solution to bone on bone joint deterioration.and is covered by insurance. Modern hip replacement surgery began in the 1960s, and the first total knee replacement was performed in 1968. According to the National Around 7 million Americans are living with a hip or knee replacement and most are mobile, in spite of advanced arthritis. New research is being done to add natural options to the list of ways to treat joint issues, before total joint replacement surgery is preformed. Since most people put off these surgeries until they can barely move, it makes sense that they might want to try alternative means to relieve their pain and stiffness. Such a treatment I’ve come across for knee pain is called Ageless Knees. If you would like to learn more about this inexpensive system, before you have total knee replacement, you can go to go.labgetbusiness.com/healthyknees to sign up to receive an interesting video about this program. Disclosure: ‘If you click on my affiliates/advertisers links, I am going to receive a tiny commission. AND… Most of the time, you will receive an offer. Win/Win! The products that I advertise are the ones I believe in.’