Fast Facts about Joints and Ligaments
- The joints and ligaments in our body begin to degenerate as we reach old age. The wear and tear drains up the fluid and causes the bones to rub against each other, causing pain while walking.
- Osteoarthritis affects about 27 million Americans and is the main reason that so many people “slow down” as they get older.
- Smoking can increase the risk of Rheumatic disease.
- Arthritis is not just an old people’s disease, it even affects the youngsters.
- Unlike what is commonly believed, Rheumatism encompasses 200 different diseases rather than just one.
- It is estimated that as much as 80% people will experience back pain at some point in their lives
Ligaments are the fibrous connective tissues that connect one bone to another. Joints are that point where individual bones meet and allow movement for the bones. Most of the times it is the body’s own immune system that ends up attacking the connective tissue of our body and causes various joints and ligaments diseases. Other causes include aging, wear and tear in the joints, injury, and over use.
Many times the joints and ligaments are damaged as a side effect of other conditions such as drug hypersensitivity, tuberculosis, coccidioidomycosis, leprosy, and sarcoidosis.
The most common kinds of problems caused in the joints that end up affecting the soft tissue of ligaments include:
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- Arthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Rotator cuff injuries
- Tendonitis
- Frozen shoulder
- Bursitis
- Fibromyalgia
- Infectious arthritis
- Back Pain
Most of these bone joint and ligaments conditions are degenerative. Back pain is singlehandedly responsible for the disability of many people worldwide.
Symptoms
Any pain in the body should not be taken lightly. Early diagnosis of most diseases can help with treatments and cure. Following are the symptoms that might indicate joint and ligaments conditions:
- Pain in the joints triggered by any weight lifting, pressuring or motion activity.
- Swelling in the joints
- Tenderness in the joints
- Stiffness in more than one joint
- Warmth in joints
- Redness
- Difficulty in movements
- Weakness and locking of joints
Joint pains in the body can be caused by any injury that ends up affecting the tendons and ligaments. Most common are shoulder pains, knee pain, back pains and ankle pain.
Recommended Supplements
While eating a healthy diet and regular exercise helps manage joints and ligaments, it is not enough to keep you fit and healthy. Supplements are essential for managing joints and ligaments and reducing problems. But it should be kept in mind that supplements should not be used to replace any medical treatment. It is not always true that natural products are safe for use. Many products can react with your body and produce an adverse reaction. Thus, it is better to be safe and consult your doctor before starting to use any supplements for managing your condition.
The following supplements have proven to benefit people with joints and ligament related issues:
Bacopa
Used actively in the traditional Indian medicine, people also take Bacopa to treat backache, hoarseness, mental illness, epilepsy and joint pain. Bacopa is very effective as a chronic pain reducer and is a well-established herbal therapy for pain management. Bacopa acts in two ways; it has anti-depressant properties as well as pain reduction abilities.
Bilberry
Bilberry is rich in anthocyanosides and as a result its strong anti-oxidants properties strengthen our blood vessels, capillary walls, red blood cells, and stabilize collagen tissues. These collagen tissues include tendons, ligaments and cartilage. Bilberry is also very effective with reducing down swelling, bruising, and burning.
Ginger
While ginger has been in use for centuries for the treatments of various health conditions, recently it has also been discovered to be very effective for treating many forms of arthritis, including Rheumatoid, degenerative, and inflammatory.
Glucosamine / Chondroitin
Glucosamine and chondroitin are two key components found in human cartilage and play an important role in keeping our joints healthy. However, upon aging, our body stops producing more glucosamine and chondroitin and we end up with stiff and painful joints. The oral intake of this natural supplement proves very valuable when it comes to the treatment of joint related diseases. It slows down the ongoing degeneration of joints and also prevents further degeneration from happening.
Turmeric
Turmeric is a natural tonic and curcumin is its key component. It is one of the traditional Indian herbs and has been in use for ages for the treatment and pain relief from sore joints, arthritis, and rheumatism. Its enzyme boosting ability helps overweight people cut down weight and feel relief in their knees and ankles.
The above mentioned natural supplements are known to help in controlling and managing joints and ligaments, but you should exercise proper caution and ask your doctor before adding any such supplements to your diet. Herbs have lasting and strong effects on the body and can also interact with other drugs and medications, causing dangerous and adverse reactions. If you use any medication for your disease, talk to your doctor before you decide to start any supplements or herbal products to manage your health condition.