Old Guy Disease You Can Get When You’re Young – Arthritis
As you age, the cartilage that normally cushions joint movement can wear away, causing joint pain and swelling. But this can happen even in your 20s or 30s if you’ve injured a joint while playing sports.
The most vulnerable joints are your knees, hips and ankles. Runners, take note. Repetitive motion often creates tiny fractures around a joint, which may eventually cause joint degenaration and arthritis. So what can you do, short of cutting sports out of your life?
Warm up and stretch out. Before you hit the road, track or field, spend at least 10 minutes warming up with calisthenics. Then stretch, focusing on the ankles, knees, hips and shoulders.
Build those quads. Exercise to strengthen the quadriceps muscles, especially weight-bearing exercises that bulk them up, are particularly valuable for protecting knee joints.
Stop when it hurts. Sports that make you swing, kick,stop on a dime, or go from a standing stop to a fast break are hard on joints. If you feel pain in a joint during any of these moves, stop and rest. Don’t walk through it. Take it easy for a few days. If you still feel pain when you resume the activity, see a doctor who’s versed in sports medicine.
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