Healthy lifestyle habits help prevent osteoporosis

Although it is a disease that mostly affects people over 65 years of age, osteoporosis has increasingly affected younger populations. Poor eating habits, obesity, high-impact physical exercise patterns and the trauma of these practices have made patients between the ages of 30 and 50 seek professional help, and they report pain from eroding joints such as the knee. According to the latest survey released by the Brazilian Society of Orthopedics and Traumatology (SBOT), about 20% of individuals in their thirties already suffer from the disease in the country.

Because it is a degenerative and irreversible disease, the best way to avoid a diagnosis of arthritis is to follow some basic care measures, aimed at healthy lifestyle habits, regular exercise, and frequent follow-up with an orthopedist, especially in predisposition to genetic factors. Here are some tips that can help keep your joints healthy.

Maintain a healthy and balanced diet

Choosing natural and healthy foods, and balanced meals in terms of food groups and in the right amount to meet the daily needs of nutrients and calories, can directly contribute to the health status in general, including bone cartilage. Excluding processed and overly processed foods such as industrial and fast foods rich in sodium, sugar and bad fats from the diet also reduces the potential for inflammation in the body, affecting various organs and functions. Arthritis, commonly known as osteoarthritis, leads to osteoarthritis over time.

Consistently control your body weight

It is not an obsession with the scale, but nutritional and endocrine monitoring, with a balanced diet and evaluation of certain body functions can be a good way to control body weight and avoid obesity. Over time, excess weight increases and wears down the joints, which leads to an early diagnosis of osteoarthritis.

Do exercises that strengthen muscles and joints

Regular practice of activities such as yoga, Pilates, swimming, aerobic exercise, and stretching help strengthen joint flexibility. Alternating these exercises with muscle-strengthening exercises, such as weight training, avoids overloading the ends of the bones, as the muscles absorb shock and injury in the area.

Avoid repetition and high-impact exercises

Sports such as volleyball, soccer, basketball and, more recently, CrossFit, which require focused, repetitive, high-impact efforts, can also injure joints such as the knee. Care must be taken in these practices, ensuring proper equipment and accessories are used, as well as accompanying a trained instructor or physical educator.

Genetic predisposition requires bone follow-up

This is a factor that should never be ignored, as it is an important reason to double your joint care. The good news is that like any genetic/predisposition factor, it can be circumvented or, at least, postponed, based on basic care with food and exercise. In all cases, monitoring joint health with an orthopedist can make a big difference in this preventive routine and early diagnosis.

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