Pain is the way your body communicates with you. It gives you a gauge as to how your body is functioning.
Therefore, a little pain now and then is not necessary a bad thing.
Aches and pains in the joints are common to everyone. It usually is evident the following day after heavy usage the previous day. So if you have not jogged in a while and you decided to go for a 30 minute run, you will fell the after effects the following day. When given enough rest and hydration, it normally goes away.
However, as one ages, the restorative powers that one possesses slow down. And with the daily demands like household chores, it will result in damage on soft tissue, joints and muscles will slowly takes it toll.
As you use your joints and muscles daily, there are bound to be micro damages to soft tissue, muscles and joints. As you rest at night, your body will repair the damage from the previous day.
However as you age, these processes take longer. Therefore as you age, your body will be unable to cope with the high demands such as vigorous exercise. The aches and pains that normally go away in day or two will gradually become a gnawing pain.
Eventually you will discover that you have repetitive strain injuries e.g. tennis elbow (even when you don’t play tennis), an inflammation on the outside of the elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) where your middle finger towards your thumb are feeling numb and weak, or even aches and pains in both knee joints, fibromyalgia or myofascial pain syndrome (aches and pains associated with muscles).
Prevention of joint Aches & Pains
1. Ensure that you have enough sleep! Never under-estimate that restorative powers sleep brings you. When you have adequate sleep, it not only balances the mind but also the body.This is the time that restoration takes place to damaged soft tissue, joints and muscles. Do seek medical assistance if you are having problems achieving deep levels of sleep.
2. Drink enough water and have a regular balanced diet. In many cases, treated water can provide health benefits too and you would know that the body consists of 70% water. Nutrients are delivered to the joints and muscles via an aqueous medium so it makes common sense to be hydrated. Include an iso-tonic beverage to help balance out the minerals and salts that may have been lost along the way. This will help prevent muscles and cramps.
3. When you start to realise that the aches and pains are taking longer to go awaym you can hire a maid to do the household chores. But not all of us have that privileged disposition. So do the next best thing: do less household chores by spreading the load throughout the week. Decide which is a more physically demanding chore and do only one of it a day. Should your work be the source of your aches and pains, find time to streatch and move about to create circulation within the joints and muscles.
4. Do the highest physically demanding chore at the start of the day and the least physically demanding chore towards the end of the day to conserve energy. For example, if you consider washing clothes and hanging them out as physically most demanding, please do that as the start of the day. It will also make more sense when you want to catch the sun for drying them. Also when you are hanging them, ensure that the preparation height is above waist height, not going above shoulder height. Also if you are about to hand the clothes on a bamboo outside the flat, ensure that the lightest piece of clothing is on the farthest part and the heaviest piece of clothing (e.g jeans) is closest to you. This will lesses the strain on your shoulder joints and not defy the laws of physics.
5. Exercise assists with blood circulation and ensures the delivering of nutrients to various parts of the body. It also strengthens the muscles and increases the endurances in them. The more consistently you exercise, the more efficient this system will be. Exercise comes with many inevitable benefits that will eventually lead to you looking, feeling and functioning well. People often exercise for just running after the bus or moving around in the office. When one is working or engaged in household chores, his mind is not relaxed because there are so many tasks at hand which have to be completed within a certain time frame. His body is tense and his circulation compromised. When one is exercising, one’s mind and body has to be at ease and not thinking of deadlines. This is when circulation in the body is optimum and nutrients can be delivered successfully to the soft tissue, joints and muscles.
Aches and pains in the joints and muscles of the elderly can be easily prevented when you have enough rest, when you keep well hydrated and well nurtured through diet and esercise. Take time to look after your body.