Bones and joints Archive

A three-move routine-arm sweep, back bend, and chair pose-can help loosen stiff muscles in the shoulders, back, and legs.

Annually, about 790,000 Americans (about 60% women) undergo knee replacement surgery. Women are more likely to have arthritis, the main culprit leading to most knee replacements. Before surgery becomes an option, people first need to try conservative treatments such as pain relievers, injectable medications, and physical therapy. Signs a knee replacement may be necessary include pain that hinders people from doing basic activities, unstable walking, and needing multiple medications to function.

Cold weather can lead to stiff, sore muscles. To avoid that, it helps to perform two types of stretches. One type is called dynamic stretching. It involves flowing, repetitive motions that prepare muscles for activity by getting blood, oxygen, and heat to them. The other type is called static stretching. It involves holding a certain position for 20 to 30 seconds, which gently lengthens the muscles to keep them flexible. Static stretching should be performed only after the muscles are warmed up.

Osteopenia is the precursor stage to osteoporosis (weak, thin bones that break easily). Ways to treat osteopenia include taking medications that slow bone loss and reduce fracture risk, exercising, eating protein- and calcium-rich foods, taking a calcium supplement to make up for a lack of dietary calcium, taking a vitamin D₃ supplement to help absorb calcium, and avoiding excessive alcohol intake. Vibration therapy (standing on a small vibrating platform) is not yet proven to be effective.

Older adults typically sit for about 65% to 80% of their waking hours. One problem of prolonged sitting is pain due to gluteal amnesia. It occurs from a weak gluteus medius-one of the three gluteal muscles that help stabilize the pelvis and maintain the body's proper alignment. Moving more often during the day and doing exercises that strengthen weak gluteal muscles can help prevent this problem.

Many people who develop rheumatoid arthritis later in life don't receive optimal medications to treat it, called disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Reasons for this include the high costs of DMARDs, concerns about drug side effects, coexisting conditions that complicate treatment, inaccessibility to health care, or perceived frailty that makes doctors nervous about prescribing DMARDs. People who feel they should be getting DMARDs (but aren't) should ask about ways to make such treatment feasible.

A growing number of people ages 60 and older suffer from knee osteoarthritis. If lifestyle strategies, such as weight loss, physical therapy, exercise, and oral or topical medications don't offer sufficient pain relief, people may benefit from either corticosteroid or hyaluronic acid injections. Injections can provide immediate pain relief, reduce inflammation, and increase mobility. However, they are a temporary treatment that won't cure knee osteoarthritis or change the course of the disease.