“Joint health is important because it reduces bodily pain; allows our joints to last longer, reducing the need for a joint replacement or at least prolonging it; and helps us do our daily activities in a much more effective manner,” says Paige Jones, ACSM CES, an exercise physiologist at Piedmont Atlanta Fitness Center.
Common causes of joint injuries
Joint injury can be caused by a number of things, including:
How to protect your joints from injuries
To keep your joints healthy and strong:
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Wear supportive shoes
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Exercise the muscles around the joints to keep them strong
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Warm up prior to exercise and cool down afterward
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Increase your exercise intensity gradually
The best exercises to protect your joints
Jones recommends the following three exercises to strengthen the muscles around your joints.
Body-weight squat
Protects: Knees, ankles and hips
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Stand in front of a chair or bench with your feet shoulder-width apart.
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Lower yourself to the seat of the chair or bench, touch it lightly and return to stand.
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Tip: Keep your knees in line with your feet and never let them extend past your toes, or you’ll risk injury.
Assisted or unassisted pull-up
Protects: Shoulders and elbows
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For the assisted pull-up, stand on the platform of a pull-up machine and grab the machine’s handles securely. For an unassisted pull-up, start at the bottom of a pull-up position.
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Begin with your arms fully extended, adjust the weight on the machine as needed and pull all the way up until you shorten your joint angle.
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Tip: Remember to breathe normally as you perform the move.
Pushup
Protects: Shoulders and elbows
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Start at the top of a pushup position with your hands shoulder-width apart, keeping your body in a straight line.
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Lower your chest toward the floor, then extend your arms and push back to the starting position.
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To modify the position, do a pushup on your knees or while standing, using a bar or wall.
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Tip: Be careful not to sag your back while doing a pushup.
“Remember, by taking the time to strengthen your muscles, you can keep your joints healthy and strong for years to come,” Jones says.
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