Providing specialized orthopedic care at six convenient locations across Northeast Wisconsin. Click to find a location near you.
(920) 560-1000
Upcoming Events News & Blog Medical Mentoring Sponsorships

How to Keep Your Joints Healthy as You Get Older

When it comes to an anterior hip replacement, seniors can ward off the need for such a major procedure when they work to protect their joints. There are things that you can do on a daily basis to make sure that your joints are as healthy as possible. Just make sure to talk to your doctor before any that require movement to ensure that you are healthy enough.

Use Moderation

When it comes to getting things done, make sure that you use moderation. There is no need to jump into an extensive exercise plan from day one or clean your entire house in an afternoon. Instead, create smaller goals so that your larger tasks are a lot easier to tackle. For example, clean one room per day and walk shorter distances, adding to your distance each week until you are able to walk one to two miles at a time.

Exercise Regularly

One of the best ways to ensure that your joints are healthy is to start exercising. Now, you want to start slow and get your plan approved by your doctor before you start. Make sure that you are incorporating a range of options, including those that challenge your strength, flexibility and cardiovascular abilities.

When you are first starting out with cardio, make sure to go with options that are low impact. For example, swimming, biking, water aerobics and casual walking. These will not jar your joints like other activities, such as running.

Eat the Right Nutrients

You want a diet that is varied so that you are getting all of the nutrients that your body requires. However, there are certain nutrients that are joint specific and the biggest one is omega-3 fatty acids. You can get these from fatty fish or a supplement that your doctor recommends. These nourish your joints and might even help to reduce your risk of experiencing the pain and swelling associated with inflammation.

Maintain a Healthy Weight

When you are carrying too much weight, this puts added stress on your joints. Even 10 pounds of excess weight feels like 30 to 60 pounds for your knees, so keep this in mind. Your doctor can help you to evaluate your current lifestyle and make choices to improve it so that you can lose weight and enjoy better health overall.

You can see that with the right plan, you can better ensure that your joints are as healthy as possible. When you keep your joints in good condition, you are actively working to reduce the need for a joint surgery (anterior or posterior hip, knee, shoulder, or ankle replacement).

If you are having concerns about your joints, request a consultation with orthopedic specialists at the Orthopedic & Sports Institute. Please call (920) 560-1000 or request an appointment online. OSI is Northeast Wisconsin’s exclusive provider of Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted Surgery for Hips & Knees.

OSI has convenient locations to serve you. In addition to the flagship facility in Appleton, you will find outreach clinics in New London, Ripon, Shawano, Waupaca, and the newest location serving the Green Bay area, inside the NOVO Health Clinic in De Pere.

The Appleton location also has a walk-in clinic that provides care for new orthopedic injuries.

OSI is a proud member of NOVO Health.