Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Senior Tips: Strengthening the Hip Joints

Jen Juneau, Guest Blogger

Doctors perform hundreds of thousands of hip replacement surgeries in the United States every year, and most of the recipients are seniors. A debilitating fall is often the reason for hip replacement.

As we age, our bones become more brittle. Fortunately, by focusing on diet and exercise, you can strengthen your hips and hopefully avoid hip replacement surgery – or put it off for a long time.

Dietary Considerations

Think about it: When you give your body foods that aid in digestion and regulation, it doesn’t have to work as hard, which means less stress on the body. Additionally, a change to a healthier diet often leads to weight loss, which means your body is putting less pressure on your joints—including your hips!

Aim to cut out some of the junk and instead incorporate foods rich in fiber, such as fruits, nuts and seeds, leafy vegetables and whole-grain breads. Drinking six 8-oz glasses of water is recommended. Help your body, and it will help you.

Benefits of Exercise

When considering exercise to help strengthen your hips, it is important to remember three things:

  1. Choose exercises that are weight bearing, so your joints get the most out of the movement.
  2. Make sure you ease into the exercise slowly.
  3. Do something you enjoy, and switch it up.

There are so many activities to choose from. Even walking provides a great range of motion for the hips while staying low impact—and you can customize your walks by length, terrain, speed and more. Other popular low-impact activities include yoga, Pilates, swimming, cycling and even dancing! You should aim to get about 30 minutes of weight-bearing activity three or four times a week, but remember: Start small.

Hip Implants: What You Should Know

With strong hip joints, you may be able to avoid hip replacement. That’s especially good news considering the dangerous complications associated with some hip implants. Metal-on-metal hip devices, which have two or more metal components, can lead to serious injury.

The devices in question are made by DePuy, Stryker, Smith & Nephew, among others. In fact, these manufacturers are facing thousands of lawsuits over their hip implants.

If you do need to have your hip replaced, make sure to do your research and speak to your doctor about your options before undergoing surgery.

Jen Juneau writes for Drugwatch.com. She is proud to educate others on the adverse effects of dangerous drugs and medical devices, and feels enriched in helping them make the right decisions.

If you would like a list Independent Living Facilities, 55+ Communities, Assisted Living Facilities or any other type of Senior Facility, I hope you will consider www.seniorfacilityfinder.com.

If you would like to contribute your thoughts and ideas, please leave them in our comment section. We want to hear them. Helping people care for themselves or their loved ones is what we care about. 

We look forward to reading yours.

Bob Gregory is an advocate for Seniors and is one of the founders of www.seniorfacilityfinder.com. At SeniorFacilityFinder.com, we are dedicated to helping families get the Elder Care help they need without having to provide their personal information! If find you need an assisted living facility or other type of senior facility, please consider www.seniorfacilityfinder.com

Enhanced by Zemanta

2 comments:

  1. Yes care should be taken in old age, with time and age body of humans also changes, power strength reduces.

    Lancaster, PA nursing homes

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes diet is very important for everyone, and then exercise is also must to maintain body fitness.

    Lancaster, PA nursing homes

    ReplyDelete