It’s Bone and Joint Health Action Week, a week dedicated to raising awareness about bone and joint conditions and how to prevent, manage, and treat them. More than half of the America population, 54% of adults over 18 are affected by musculoskeletal conditions such as arthritis, back pain, hip pain, or osteoporosis. One in three find the conditions debilitating 1. As life expectancy continues to increase, so does the number of people suffering from bone and joint disorders.  If the cooler weather has you craving the outdoors but pain is holding you back, our team is here to help and the good news is… in Arizona, you don’t need a prescription to start moving better and feeling better.

While regular exercise plays a significant role in prevention and management of most of these conditions, our goal with this blog is to help raise awareness and provide some simple tips to help prevent, manage, and treat the most common musculoskeletal conditions. Managing these conditions takes a team of medical professionals! Your doctor, physical therapist, occupational therapist, and dietitian are all resources you can turn to for help when you have questions. Maintaining a healthy weight, proper diet, and active lifestyle are the foundations for fighting each of these conditions. A diet consisting of 80% whole foods, and a lifestyle that encourages sleep and movement will help you move better and feel better as you continue to age. Your goals should be aimed at getting 7-9 hours of sleep on average per night, spending 5-15 minutes per day on self-care, and moving for a minimum of 60 minutes per day while avoiding prolonged static positions.

World Arthritis Day – October 12th

We kick off Bone and Joint Health Action Week with World Arthritis Day

Arthritis is characterized by pain, swelling, and stiffness in or around the joints. Extended periods of inactivity can make symptoms worse and sufferers will often wake up with stiff joints that can remain that way for several hours. The good news is arthritis is a manageable condition and has been shown to improve with the right exercises. Take a moment on #WorldArthritisDay to assess your joint health. If you feel aches or stiffness in your joints, schedule an appointment with a Spooner physical therapist or hand therapist and take the first steps toward moving better and feeling better.

Good exercise is attainable throughout all stages of arthritis but the earlier therapy starts the easier it is to manage. Walking, pool walking or time spent on an elliptical is a great, low-impact way of improving joint health, heart health, and mood. Stretching, like yoga or tai chi, water exercise, and Pilates also work to improve flexibility, balance, and range of motion 2. These exercises are great for managing and treating symptoms of arthritis but they can also be used in preventing it. When coupled with a good diet, managing blood sugar, and healthy weight, you are giving yourself the best chance at preventing arthritis.

For more targeted exercises, a physical therapist or hand therapist can help provide strength training and consistent routines that focus on rehabilitating specific joints and their supporting musculature. 

World Spine Day – October 16th

Pain, tightness, and a reduced range of motion are all signs that your back needs attention and #WorldSpineDay is all about recognizing when you need to take your back in for a tune up. Strength training is one of the smartest ways to help musculoskeletal issues related to the spine. Aaron Kranz PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS says, “being active beyond just walking regularly has many benefits” and adds that resistance training is important, especially for patients over 60.

The spine needs support, so mobility exercises for the spine, hips, and core are a great place to start. Along with good posture, exercises and stretches are one of the quickest ways of relieving back pain and work to prevent continued or relapse pain. Exercises and stretches like kneeling lunges, internal and external hip rotations, and the frog stretch or prayer squats are great at improving hip mobility and activating your hip flexors. For your spine, wall rotations, kneeling rotations, side-lying rotations, and foam roller extensions (a rolled towel will do) help strengthen the muscles around the spine as well as improve their flexibility. Lastly, we have core stability. Aaron explains that he is a major fan of the McGill 3 for triplanar core stability. The three exercises that Dr. McGill found that benefited core strength the most are curl-ups (crunches), side plank, and bird-dog (quadruped exercise). All these exercises are easy to do at-home and don’t require any equipment. Working with a trainer or physical therapist helps in treating back problems. They can assess posture and pain points to prescribe workouts that target specifics muscles. 

Learn more about Spine Rehabilitation at Spooner Physical Therapy. Ready to schedule an appointment? Click Here to schedule an appointment or complimentary movement screen with a Spooner physical therapist at one of our locations throughout the valley.

World Trauma Day – October 17th

On this day we focus on the importance of saving and protecting lives during emergencies. It’s also a day to provide education on how to avoid traumatic injuries and deaths.

What is Trauma?

Trauma refers to a physical injury caused by a traumatic event. These events include domestic violence, natural disasters, car accidents, and even sport related injuries. Traumatic injuries usually happen suddenly and require immediate medical care. It’s not uncommon for those who suffer a traumatic injury to go into shock and often require immediate interventions to save limbs or may even require patient resuscitation. Unfortunately, suffering a traumatic injury is one of the leading causes of disability and for others, their traumatic injury can be fatal. Around the world, nearly 6 million people die each year because of traumatic injuries making it the leading cause of death under the age of 45. This number accounts for 10% of deaths throughout the world 4.

Traumatic brain injuries can be exceptionally debilitating. An estimated 69 million people suffer from traumatic brain injuries each year. Physical therapists are uniquely qualified to help manage your return to work or play after suffering from a concussion. The more quickly medical attention is received, the better the chance of recovery.

While preventing a traumatic experience is impossible, using common sense and removing yourself from dangerous situations are all you can do. But if something happens you can be prepared. On #WorldTraumaDay, emergency personnel throughout the world provide education on how to aid others during a traumatic event. Do you know CPR? If not, World Trauma Day is a great time to make a commitment to learning it – find a class offering near you and sign up today. Your commitment could help save a life.

World Pediatric Bone and Joint (PB&J) Day – October 19th

Believe it or not, children and teens can develop bone and joint conditions as well. People sometimes think kids are invincible and can brush off anything. #WorldPBJDay is here to remind us that kids have their limits too and need the proper care to prevent life-long injuries. Stephanie Gilboy PT, DPT shares with us her ideas on approaches to keep bones and joints healthy in active youths.

Adding variety to children’s activity helps keep kids from overusing some parts of their bodies and underusing others. This reduces the chance of injury and the chance of unbalanced development. It will also help to keep the child’s interest in activity high well into adulthood. In preventing bone and joint pain, it’s important to give kids rest days, or in some cases make them take rest days. If an injury does occur, never assume the child is faking for attention or to get out of something, be mindful of overuse and burnout even in younger athletes. Seek guidance from a medical professional and give injuries time to heal. Rushing a recovery or pushing through pain is a risk not worth taking.

Unfortunately, there is no one exercise that prepares your body for everything. Home exercise plans should be prescribed by a medical professional and will end up being unique to each child and each sport. There is so much we could cover just on good at-home exercises and stretches but the most important thing to remember is to make it fun! Working these exercises into your daily routine should be easy by design and can help break up prolonged periods of inactivity throughout the day. When in doubt, ask a physical therapist! They’re specially trained in proper body movement and mechanics to prevent injury while also building strength.

Exercises, stretches, and warmups should always look like the sport you are taking part in and should be practiced on a regular basis, even if a game or event is not occurring in the immediate future. This keeps your muscles and joints ready for competitive movement.

Learn more about Pediatric Physical Therapy at Spooner Physical Therapy. Ready to schedule an appointment? Click Here to schedule an appointment or complimentary movement screen with a Spooner physical therapist at one of our locations throughout the valley.

World Osteoporosis Day – October 20th

Osteoporosis is hard to detect early. Usually back, hip, neck, and wrist pain are signs of osteoporosis but the majority of osteoporosis cases are discovered after a bone fracture. #WorldOsteoporosisDay reminds us to show our bones some love, especially as we age. Remember to add enough calcium and vitamin D to your diet so your bones have the resources they need to stay strong.

Decreased balance and strength are primary concerns for patients diagnosed with osteoporosis. While it seems counterintuitive, the best way to fight osteoporosis and improve balance and strength is with exercise. Weight-bearing, muscle strengthening, balance, and flexibility exercises are all crucial to encouraging bone health and density. Exercises that make your body work against gravity, like climbing stairs, tennis, and dancing, are effective in strengthen your bones. Strength training exercises can consist of free weights, weight machines, and resistance bands. Just remember to stay at a level you are comfortable with. Talk with a medical professional if you feel pain during your workout, they might recommend more low-impact exercise. Pushing yourself too hard is only counter-productive 3.

Once again, we see yoga and tai chi make an appearance on our list of recommended exercises. These exercises are low-impact and help improve balance and flexibility. If weight bearing is difficult, these exercises can be done in a pool to make things a little easier.

Remember this week is all about awareness. If you notice musculoskeletal changes in yourself or loved ones that create pain, make movement difficult or force you to miss out on your favorite activities, your first call should be to the team at Spooner Physical Therapy.

Learn more about Orthopedic Rehabilitation at Spooner Physical Therapy. Ready to schedule an appointment? Click Here to schedule an appointment or complimentary movement screen with a Spooner physical therapist at one of our locations throughout the valley.

References

  1. Bone and Joint Inititive USA. (2020, Oct 12). Bone and Joint Action Week. Retrieved from Bone and Joint Inititive USA: https://www.usbji.org/programs/public-education-programs/action-week#:~:text=Overview,prevention%2C%20disease%20management%20and%20treatment.
  2. Gal, K. (2018, Aug 30). Best exercises for rheumatoid arthritis pain. Retrieved from Medical News Today: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322917#exercises-to-avoid
  3. Harvard Health Publishing Harvard Medical School. (2014, Feb 1). Effective Exercises for Osteoporosis. Retrieved from Harvard Health Publishing Harvard Medical School: https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/effective-exercises-for-osteoporosis
  4. National Day Calendar. (2020, Oct 12). Worl Trauma Day – October 17. Retrieved from National Day Calendar: https://nationaldaycalendar.com/world-trauma-day-october-17/