3 TIPS ON HOW TO AVOID PAIN & INJURIES
There is a vast amount of information online about hip and knee surgery; however Hip & Knee Consultant Surgeon, Dr Gaurav Batra believes the emphasis should be placed on prevention and gives advice on how to protect joints.
The human body has an amazing capacity to repair itself. However, if your joints get damaged, then it can lead to pain and loss of mobility and function. It can ruin your life.
When the cartilage that cushions your hips and knees wears away, it does not grow back. Thinning cartilage contributes to osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative arthritis, a painful condition.
Over time, arthritic joints can become so sore and inflamed that they need to be replaced with prosthetic implants. This can mean time off work, loss of earnings and worse still, complications of treatment.
Fortunately, you can act to protect your joints now, to reduce your chances of needing to replace them later.
Here are few tips that may help you now:
1) Stay active and exercise regularly: Stretch well before starting, warm up properly, and cool down afterwards. Aerobic exercise improves muscle strength and helps avoid injuries. If you want to run, run on softer ground if possible.2) Keep your weight down: Eat healthily and regularly. Being overweight increases your risk of developing hip and knee arthritis, especially in women.
3) Recover from injury: If you do injure your hip or knee, rest up and don’t start exercising until you have recovered completely.
If you do get hip or knee pain and it doesn’t settle down after a few weeks, see your doctor. They may refer you to a specialist so essential treatment is not delayed.
For more information or to book a consultation
If you are suffering from hip or knee pain and don’t want to wait to see a Consultant. Please visit our Orthopaedics page.
Dr Gaurav Batra PhD, FRCS (Orth)Dr Gaurav Batra, Hip & Knee Consultant Surgeon works at Oaklands Hospital and specialises in hip and knee replacements, arthroscopic knee surgery, hip revision, lower limb trauma an hip fractures including hip reconstruction. For more information please click on the links below: