No More Creaks: Your Guide to Lubricated Joints
Have you ever heard the creaking of a wooden door's unoiled and rusted hinge? It is similar to what happens when your joints aren’t greased enough. It worsens when you age and are not taking appropriate measures to eliminate it. So, we must provide our joints with the necessary natural care. But how to lubricate joints naturally?
Joint health, in particular, is a topic that gets brushed under the carpet all too often. But no more!
Every movement you make is a combined action of the brain and muscular system. To make it smooth, our joints must be in good health.
Various Exercises, joint lubrication food, and lubricated joint supplements are there to strengthen joints.
Let’s dive deep into how to keep up your joint health. In addition, how do joints get lubricated?
Why is it Important to Keep your Joints Lubricated?
Just like other body parts, joints also require the necessary pampering to retain their functionality. Adequate lubrication of joints enables us to lead our lives more confidently and smoothly. In other words, it enhances the quality of life, especially when one ages.
Joint lubrication also enhances the capacity of the joint to sustain flexibility by absorbing joint shocks.
Lack of sufficient lubrication increases joint stiffness, pain, and inflammation. This is because the joints lack the synovial fluid for lubrication, thus making joints prone to deterioration.
Synovial fluid: Nature’s Perfect Lubricant for Joints
Have you ever wondered what lubricates joints in the body?
Synovial fluid is a yolk-like thick fluid that resides within our synovial joints. Its primary significance is to reduce the friction of articular cartilage within the synovial joints. More specifically, it acts as a shock absorber.
Synovial Fluid also provides sufficient cushion for effortless joint movement.
Beyond lubrication, it also provides the necessary nutrients to the joints and removes waste from the joint cavity. One additional point that most people don’t know is that synovial fluid has immune cells within them that further shield joint health.
In short, synovial fluid is nature’s gift for immune strength and joint strength.
How to Lubricate Joints Naturally
Gaining joint health does not mean taking action when it hurts. It is more precisely a proactive approach. It means you must add necessary preventive measures to your lifestyle to prevent joint-related issues as much as possible.
Here are some natural ways to lubricate your joints.
Stay Hydrated
Water makes a significant portion of synovial fluid, nature’s best joint lubricant. Providing yourself with enough water keeps up joint health by increasing the concentration of the fluid.
When the body is dehydrated, it affects the overall volume and production of the joint fluid, which leads to joint friction and deterioration.
In bonus, it also maintains overall health, which will, in turn, greatly support joint function and stamina.
Add an anti-inflammatory-rich Diet
There is a particular food that works great for joint health and function. Omega-3-fatty acids in Salmon Fish, trout, Olives, and Avocados, are known for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that reduce joint inflammation. The best anti-inflammatory sources include:
- Berries (strawberries or raspberries)
- Green Leafy veggies (Brocolli and Kale)
- Turmeric
- Green tea
- Mushrooms
- Nuts (almonds, walnuts, or chia seeds)
Watch Your Weight for Healthy Joints
Carrying extra weight puts extra stress on your joints. Moreover, excessive weight also damages the protective cartilage and tissues that surround our joints, thus affecting their performance.
Add exercises that specifically work on the fats of the Knees and Hips. In addition to that, skip diets loaded with Trans fat, as in junk food, as they have less nutritional value and are very hard to metabolize.
Joint Lubrication Exercises
Exposing your body to regular exercise paired with sufficient stretching goes a long way in enhancing joint performance. In addition, with regular exercise, you also get a boost in synovial fluid production.
With exercise, your body efficiently circulates the synovial joint within the entire joint cavity. In addition to this, exercises also improve blood circulation, thus providing nutrients to the joints.
Research has also suggested that aerobic exercise reduces the incidence of joint swelling. And after the 12th week, joints showed better structure, capacity, and strength.
Low-impact exercises like swimming, cycling, or yoga are perfect for lubricating your joints without causing excessive stress.
Add Joint-friendly Supplements
Joint supplements with chondroitin and glucosamine make an excellent blend for stronger joints. JointCan is the best joint lubrication supplement that facilitates joint health in all possible ways. It sources you with chondroitin, Glucosamine, Vitamin D3, and methylsulphonylmethane, which are necessary for joint flexibility and endurance.
Joint supplements improve lubrication and also prevent age-related joint deterioration. But it's even better to consult your doctor before consuming any joint supplement to avoid side effects.
Mindful Meditation and Stress Management for Joint Health
Inflammation often gets triggered by stress. High-stress levels trigger inflammatory responses that might exacerbate joint inflammation. It may seem irrelevant to joints, but it's best to control pressure by adding mind-full activities such as yoga or meditation.
Moreover, the calming effect of mindfulness can help manage the psychological aspects of dealing with chronic joint conditions.
What are the Signs and Symptoms of Poor Joint Lubrication?
Some various signs and symptoms might be indicative of poor joint health. Here are a few of our notes on symptoms of poor joint lubrication:
- Stiffness
- Pain
- Inflammation
- Decreased range of motion
- Creaking sensation
- Joint swelling
- Prominence of Bones
Do Supplements Help in Joint Lubrication?
The topic of joint lubrication and supplementation is still ongoing research. However, there is still enough evidence supporting the anti-inflammatory capabilities of specific supplements for joint health. Specifically, supplements rich in Chondroitin, glucosamine, vitamin K, vitamin C, and vitamin D3 benefit joint health.
But the, joint supplements can still not be considered the ultimate cure for joint discomfort. Their effectiveness also varies from person to person.
Cutting-Edge Research in Joint Lubrication and What it Means for You
Since science and technology are progressing hand in hand, we are blessed with scientific approaches and techniques for joint lubrication each day. Here are some top-notch approaches that are underway:
Personalized physical therapy for Joint Health
Personalized physical therapy is a new customized therapy that must be designed to keep an individual's needs and capacity in view. This therapy will help promote synovial fluid production and also for joint deterioration.
Regenerative medicine
Modern advances in regenerative medicine, including stem-cell transplantation and PRP (Plasma Rich Platelets), are being researched for their promising potential for damaged tissue repair. This approach aims to enhance the body's healing capacity, which will be helpful in joint tissue repair.
Synthetic Joint Lubricants
Now, researchers believe in assisting the natural joint lubricant, i.e., Synovial fluid, by providing synthetic synovial joint lubricants. These synthetic lubricants would be sourcing the exact nutrients the natural lubricant would be doing. It will be helpful in cases where synovial fluid won’t be able to cater to nutrient supply due to any discrepancy.
Gene Therapy for Joint Health
Gene therapy is a new hope for prolonged joint issues like osteoarthritis. The aim is to enable or engineer the patient’s cells to repair the damage in case of wear and tear.in addition, it also aims to reduce inflammation and stimulation of synovial production.
How to Increase Lubrication in Knee Joints
As stated above, joint health practices work well for each joint in the body. The best ways to increase lubrication in knee joints include:
- Incorporating spices such as turmeric and ginger works best for solid and resilient knee joints. Both herbs have characteristic anti-inflammatory biomolecules that help in knee joint inflammation.
- Add knee-joint targeting exercises such as hamstring curls, step-ups, calf raises, and seated leg presses to increase the production of knee joint lubricant.
Protect Your Body, Protect Your Joints
Always remember, the goal of an active and healthy lifestyle is not to get fit but to enhance the quality of your health. Here are some ways you can protect the joints:
- Wear a helmet or knee pads
- Avoid repetitive stress
- Manage injury prudently
- Take breaks or rest where needed
- Exercise smartly, as giving stress or exploiting your capacity is not the key.
Final Thoughts
Joint problems and discomfort are real. It limits your ability to endure life at its full. So, it's best not to take it lightly. Add as many possible ways as possible that will help your joints lubricate. Since adding joint-friendly activities is not just a need, it is an investment for a better future.