How to take care of bones and joints for the elderly

How to take care of bones and joints for everyone, especially the elderlyseniors 60 years of age and older. With natural aging, it is easy to lead to bone and joint problems that reduce mobility and quality of life.

Common bone and joint diseases in the elderly are: Osteoporosis, spinal degeneration, weak bones, osteoarthritis… The quality of bone and joint cartilage declines over time. 

In particular, in elderly women, the decline in female hormones limits the ability to absorb calcium into bones, leading to osteoporosis more easily than in men.

Or people who have had bone and joint injuries, obesity, or metabolic diseases also affect their joints in old age.

So how to take care of bones and joints for the elderly? Below are 7 necessary things to do to take care of bones and joints of the elderly:

1. Exercise daily:

• Exercise your body every day with exercises suitable for your physical condition such as walking, yoga, qigong, and tai chi.
• Elderly people should exercise 30 - 45 minutes every day.

• Avoid carrying objects in the wrong posture and movements such as bending the knees, squatting, climbing, standing for a long time, shaking hands, etc.
• Need to have a reasonable rest regimen, avoid heavy work to not cause further damage to the skeletal system.

2. Maintain a healthy diet: 

• Build a nutritious diet that is good for bones and joints, foods rich in calcium, vitamin D, Omega-3 such as: milk, seafood, shrimp, crab, fish, beans, wood ear, broccoli, cabbage, spinach...
• In addition, the elderly should limit unhealthy foods such as greasy foods, canned foods, soft drinks, alcohol, etc.
• Avoid salt in your daily diet to avoid osteoporosis.

For the elderly, it is very important to pay attention to nutrition. You can absolutely look for services home care Help create nutritional menus and monitor the condition of the elderly.

3. Have a healthy lifestyle:

Sleeping on time and getting enough sleep, avoiding excessive stress are ways to help the elderly reduce pain caused by bone and joint diseases.

4. Keep your body warm in cold weather:

When the weather gets cold, the elderly with joint pain should wear thick clothes, keep the painful areas warm and avoid going out too much. In addition, drinking hot tea is also a way to help the body feel warmer.

5. Prevent overweight and obesity:

Eat and drink in moderation – Exercise regularly to maintain a moderate weight, avoid obesity, help reduce joint pain and prevent other bone and joint diseases

6. Quit smoking:

Smoking can make joint pain worse, so older people should quit smoking as soon as possible.

7. Do not overuse pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs:  

To avoid side effects such as brittle bones, kidney and digestive tract effects. If you have to take medication, you need to be examined and prescribed by a specialist and must strictly follow the doctor's instructions.

With the development of modern medicine, using very simple methods, specialists will help the elderly diagnose and treat diseases effectively, preventing complications of bone and joint diseases.

Source vsh.org.vn