Joints, bones, muscles

The human body is amazing, but when we something goes wrong with our joints, bones or muscles, it can have a very great impact indeed. We often take simple things like walking or bending or sitting for long periods of time for granted, but when those things give us pain, it can be debilitating and frustrating. To understand how to keep our joints, bones and muscles strong and supple, we need to go back to the basics:

Dem bones, dem bones, dem dancing bones.

Dem bones, dem bones, dem dancing bones.

Dem bones, dem bones, dem dancing bones.

Doin’ the skeleton dance.

 

The foot bone’s connected to the leg bone.

The leg bone’s connected to the knee bone.

The knee bone’s connected to the thigh bone.

Doin’ the skeleton dance.

 

The thigh bone’s connected to the hip bone.

The hip bone’s connected to the backbone.

The backbone’s connected to the neck bone.

Doin’ the skeleton dance.

As you will have learned since leaving primary school, ‘dem bones’ are connected by joints, muscles, cartilages, ligaments and other tissues, which all work together to give us a strong structural core. Not only do our bones hold us upright and provide stability, they also protect crucial organs like the heart, brain and lungs. The centre of bones also contain bone marrow which produces new blood cells.

What can we do for optimal health and integrity of our bones, muscles and joints?

 

Bones

We all know how important calcium is for bone health, but did you know over 90% of calcium in your body is found in your bones and teeth? We need enough calcium to avoid fractures, osteoporosis, rickets and osteomyelitis. Check you are consuming enough calcium and try to eat more foods rich in calcium which include:

• dairy products (milk and cheese)
• green leafy vegetables
• almonds
• sesame seeds
• sardines
• dried fruit
• pulses
• tofu

Along with calcium, vitamin D levels decreases risk of osteoporosis and broken bones, as well as rickets and osteomalacia (soft, weak bones). In order to utilise calcium properly in your bones and teeth, your body needs other nutrients such as magnesium or vitamin D. You can read more about Vitamin D in my blog ‘Vitamin D – the controversial vitamin!’

Remember also that severely restricting food intake and being underweight weakens the bones and women are at greater risk of osteoporosis, because they have less bone tissue than do men.

You can also do a hair mineral analysis. I often suggest that my clients do a ‘hair mineral analysis’ test to check their mineral tissue levels.  I find this a very useful test because it indicates each individual’s precise nutrient needs and which systems in their body may need support. You can learn more about laboratory tests used in your consultations on my website.

Interestingly, 95% of the hair samples I take show that the individual has high tissue calcium levels. Most people are relieved because they immediately think it means they are eating plenty of calcium and this may prevent osteoporosis. Interestingly it actually often means that they are not utilising their calcium properly and it is being ‘dumped’ in soft tissues such as the hair, skin, joints, arteries, lymph nodes, gallbladder etc, rather than your bones and teeth. When calcium is dumped in soft tissues, it can cause joint stiffness, muscle cramps and premature aging of skin.

 

Muscles

Many of us suffer from problems relating to our muscles, which can include strains, cramps, tendonitis or fibromyalgia.

There are over 600 muscles in our bodies: skeletal muscles holds our bones together, smooth muscle moves substances through our organs and cardiac muscle controls the heart.  Each muscle has thousands of tiny fibres, each controlled by a nerve, which makes it contract. Strong muscles can help prevent falls and injuries, strengthen bones and reduce osteoporosis, and increase your metabolism to help maintain a health weight.

One amazing thing about muscles is that the more you use them, the stronger they are. So it is important to make your muscles work hard every day – climb stairs, use weights, do resistance exercises, use your body weight to do simple push-ups and squats.

Another amazing thing about muscles is the way they repair and heal to become stronger. Every time you do a workout which uses muscles you have never used before you feel a lot of pain the following day. The muscles fibres have been torn and the healing process is painful, but results in stronger muscles.

Don’t neglect physical exercise! People who are physically inactive have a higher risk of osteoporosis than do their more-active counterparts. When it comes to physical exercise, I think of three key things: mobility, strength and cardio. They are the three prongs of a balanced exercise program.

1. Mobility is important because muscle fibres tent to become short, stiffer and weaker when we don’t use them and as we age, making us vulnerable to injuries, back pain, and stress.
2. Strength training is important because strong muscles means better mobility and balance, as well as greater bone density. A UK-based study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology in 2017 found strength exercises that utilise your own bodyweight are as important for overall health as aerobic exercise. [iii] This includes exercises you can do at home like press-ups, sit-ups and planks.
3. Functional Medicine recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week, as well as muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days a week.

You can read more in my blog ‘The Joys of Exercise’.

 

Joints

Joints, synovial joints and fibrous joints, are what connect our bones together and allow movement. If you don’t keep your joints supple and strong, they will very quickly grow stiff and sore. We need to protect our joints to avoid osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout and repetitive sprains.

An important part of protecting joints is to reduce stresses and burdens such as too much weight, too little movement and lack of strength. If your joints are inflamed or painful, commit to an anti-inflammatory diet and low impact exercises.

Iron can be deposited in your joints leading to rheumatoid arthritis (Lawson et al).  Hair mineral analysis results have shown that people diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis tend to have low tissue copper and high iron tissue levels.  On the other hand, too much copper may cause calcium to accumulate around your joints leading to osteoarthritis (aching and stiffness) (Uauy et al).

You might be interested in learning more about copper and its role in preventing stiff joints and absorbing iron in my blog ‘Copper’.

 

With every blessing,

Emma

Emma Maitland-Carew – Registered Nutritional Therapist

Dip.ION, mBANT, CHNC Registered Practitioner,

Metabolic Balance® Coach, HeartMath Coach, Accredited Wellbeing Coach.

 

 

Lawson AA et al (1967) Natural of anaemia in rheumatoid arthritis.  VII.  Storage of iron in rheumatoid disease.  Annals of the rheumatic diseases, 26(6):552-559 [Online] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1010442/pdf/annrheumd00227-0087.pdf.

Uauy R et al (1998) Essentiality of copper in humans, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 67(5 suppl): 952S-959S [Online] http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/67/5/952S.full.pdf.