One of the secrets to living life without physical limits is to take care of your orthopedic health.
At All-Star Orthopedics of Austin, our foremost goal is to help our patients feel, move, and live better. This fuels our unwavering dedication to providing the highest quality of restorative and preventive care—the latter of which, we believe, remains the best way to ensure optimal orthopedic health.
With that in mind, we have prepared some simple but effective tips from the head of our practice, Dr. Carolyn Hyde, to help you minimize your risk of developing orthopedic problems. Check these out.
Stay at a healthy weight.
Excess weight is bad for your joints. To demonstrate, for every 10 pounds of weight you gain, you put an excess of 50 pounds of pressure on your knees and increase your risk of developing osteoarthritis by 36 percent.
Excess weight also weakens your muscles and leaves you susceptible to injuries.
Do exercises that you enjoy.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) suggests doing exercises that are enjoyable. Keep in mind that exercises are not only for losing weight—but also for ensuring your optimal health. The fun will be a great addition to these two motivations and will get you through days when exercising doesn’t seem as exciting.
Strengthen your core muscles.
Your core muscles are similar to a central link in a chain that connects your upper and lower body. The movements you make either originate in your core, or move through it, and regardless of where the movement starts, it ripples either downward or upward to the adjoining links of the chain.
Strengthening your core muscles helps you enhance your balance and stability, thereby preventing falls and injuries during sports or even in your day-to-day activities.
Make it a habit to stretch before exercise.
Stretching is important for maintaining and improving muscle flexibility and reducing the risk of stress injuries like sprains and strains. If you’re going to do high-intensity exercises, warm-up and gradually increase their intensity.
Incorporate calcium and vitamin D into your diet.
Bone health and strength rely on a steady stream of nutrients, notably vitamin D and calcium. Vitamin D facilitates the effective absorption of calcium from the foods you eat, while calcium keeps the bones dense and strong.
These nutrients work together to protect your bones. Low levels of vitamin D essentially mean low levels of calcium, as the body doesn’t naturally produce the latter.
Insufficient intake of these nutrients can leave you vulnerable to osteoporosis, so make sure you incorporate calcium- and vitamin D-rich foods into your diet. Excellent sources of calcium include soy, green leafy vegetables, dairy products, dried peas, and beans; while you can obtain vitamin D from egg yolks, red meat, fatty fish, and sun.
If you’re not getting these nutrients from your diet, talk to Dr. Hyde about taking dietary supplements.
Get regular checkups.
Regular visits to Dr. Hyde are an excellent way to stay on top of your orthopedic health. This is especially imperative when you reach a certain age where you get more susceptible to joint or bone problems, such as wear-and-tear arthritis and osteoporosis. Dr. Hyde can suggest additional preventive measures to help you effectively safeguard your orthopedic as well as overall health.
Orthopedic Doctor in Austin, TX
If you’re looking for a highly qualified orthopedic doctor in Austin, Texas, call us at (512) 346-4933, or use our online appointment request form to schedule a consultation with Dr. Carolyn Hyde.
We look forward to helping you achieve excellent orthopedic health and overall well-being!
