Joint mobility training involves actively moving your joints with the goal of maintaining or restoring your mobility. This therefore improves joint flexibility by reducing the excess tension surrounding the joints and by recovering the coordination of more efficient movement.

Usually people only move to a point where it is pain-free, not pushing through areas of tension. By working within these guidelines, you can reduce tension in the muscles surrounding the joints, speed recovery from exercise, and restore lost motion from past injuries.

This works through increased control over your movements you can restore proper posture and increase your movement efficiency. Emphasis placed on posture and controlled movement will help to re-educate the nervous system.

Moreover this can also help you deal with previous low back pain and avoid it from reoccurring. Also if you have had neck or shoulder injuries and problems in the past, this can reduce pain and release tension.

By moving every joint or groups of joints in an isolated way this will help restore or maintain mobility. This can be performed in a standing position to enhance posture. Simple rotations to start and then progressively more complex patterns involving multiple joints.

Additional moves such as Tai Chi, yoga, dance and the martial arts will further help the joint or group of joints, and then for movements that involve multiple joints.

By means of progressing from basic rotations to more difficult figure 8 patterns, your nervous system is provided with greater stimulus, which as a result adapts to this stress in a positive way.

Additional moves such as Tai Chi, yoga, dance and the martial arts will further help the joint or group of joints, and then for movements that involve multiple joints.

The foundation for joint mobility training lies in two areas. One, it works with your body’s reflexes to repair lost motion due to stress, poor posture, injury, and lack of movement. It seems that reflexes can impair joint function long after the threat of harm is gone.

Reflexes that were meant to protect the body, but are still active at a later time. The muscles adjoining a joint will tighten or reflexively spasm to protect a joint from anymore injury.

Meaning, movement has to be retrained following injury to restore proper function. Proprioception, which is the body’s ability to sense and feel where it is in relative to movement, is often impaired after injury. It needs to be re-educated in order to work correctly.

Therefore Joint mobility work does an outstanding job of retraining proprioception (re-educates the nervous system). By moving at a speed it can manage, in a range of motion that is pain-free, avoiding unnecessary tension, movement is progressively restored. Your movements become more capable, because you have greater control over them.

In summary according to Dr. Eric Cobb, you need to balance tension and relaxation in the muscles for optimal performance. While that may seem rather obvious, it’s a perfect example of how our multifaceted bodies often function in a straightforward manner.

Brian Morgan has been a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) since 1993. He is also a massage therapist, with 5 years experience working in rehab settings with people of all ages. For more information, go to http://www.brianmorganfitness.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brian_Morgan

The keys to good health as we all know are diet and exercise. There are numerous studies, books, articles, and television shows that encourages and reminds us to take good care of our bodies. There is the food guide pyramid to follow, and various local diet and exercise programs that serve to educate the community, however what happens if you are suffering from joint pain.

Yoga exercises can be extremely helpful for those people with joint pain. Yoga is also great for overall fitness and peace of mind.

It is a natural reaction for us to avoid anything that we know will cause us pain. The activity level of someone who suffers joint pain in their everyday life is likely to drop. Unfortunately, depending on which joints are hurting, this can actually cause more problems. Depending on which joints are painful and the current level of activity, beginning an exercise program can be a big challenge.

Painful joints can become harder to move when they are not moved through their range of motion often enough. More pain is caused by this stiffness and then a vicious circle ensues. However yoga exercises can be extremely helpful for those people with joint pain. Yoga is also great for overall fitness and peace of mind.

Also a great thing about yoga is it can be performed by just about anyone. There are even classes emerging tailored to senior citizens. The slow, controlled physical movement of joints is instrumental in helping to relieve joint pain. Yoga improves the blood circulation in joints and helps the body remove unwanted toxins. One of the challenges is overcoming the initial pain and reaching a new level of fitness. It is important that you push through an initial adjustment period to become more successful in committing yourself to try yoga, or any exercise you.

The type of yoga that will be best for you depends on your age, current level of fitness, and physical ability. If you are starting a fitness regimen for the first time, and it has been a long time since you exercised regularly, or if you have already lost significant muscle tone and flexibility, you should start with a very gentle choice, such as hatha yoga. There are so many different types, each with their own emphasis, that there is bound to be one that will help anyone improve their flexibility and lessen their pain.

Although it is possible to learn yoga from DVDs or instruction books, it is however best to go through an instructor in a yoga class. Attending a class will allow you to get the most out of yoga with the least chance of having an injury. Yoga classes designed especially for seniors are becoming more and more available. If you are looking for a class, a good place to start is by checking your local senior centers, religious organisations, retirement communities, and even health clubs. If you can’t find a special senior class, a gentle beginner’s class can be a good place to get started.

When patients begin yoga they often find it helpful to try some of the supplements available on the market. Many of them, such as glucosamine, chondroitin, and Celadrin, have been found to help joints become more lubricated, less inflamed, and can increase their range of motion. By combining a good exercise, diet, and supplement regimen it may be possible to lessen the pain and get on with your life.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alan_King

Omega 3 fatty acids used for joint health is gaining in popularity as ever more people are opting for healthy, natural remedies over risky side effects laden pharmaceutical drugs.

The question is: do omega 3 fatty acids benefit joint health, stiffness, and aches and pains?

Omega 3 fatty acid help ease tender joints in people with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

Although numerous studies have been researched, and not all of them conclusive, in general it appears that omega 3 fatty acids does help ease tender joints in people with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

This may actually help people who were relying on corticosteroids to reduce what they need to use.

Omega 3 fatty acids, such as those found in high quality fish oils, act as anti-inflammatories which, as anyone with arthritis or stiffness knows, is often caused or worsened by inflammation of the joints.

Despite omega 3 fatty acids derived from fish oils used for the health of joints can be useful, there is another natural substance that has been confirmed to be much more beneficial.

What is this natural substance?

It’s the green lipped mussel from New Zealand. This in New Zealand is renowned, however less well known in the United States even though it can be purchased or obtained by people living in the US.

Green lipped mussel also contains omega 3 fatty acids. In addition to certain research of people using omega 3 fatty acids showing reduced morning joint aches, and joint tenderness, green lipped mussel has been shown to lessen joint stiffness, improve walking pace in people with osteoarthritis, and enhance the strength of grip for sufferers.

Such a study can be found at prestigious universities in the United States, such as the University of Maryland Medical Center: http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/omega-3-000316.htm is one of the pages if you’re curious.

One downside reported at the University of Maryland Medical Center website is that in some participants using green lipped mussel, the symptoms can worsen temporarily before they improve. Which is a common trait with remedies for other conditions as well.

On the other hand, the University of Maryland Medical Center reports that omega 3 fatty acids may “reduce the activity of enzymes that destroy cartilage” when “cartilage-containing cells” were studied in test tubes.

In addition to the possible benefits for joint health and stiffness, omega 3 fatty acids also have many other well researched benefits that include brain and heart health as well.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dan_Ho by Dan Ho

STOCKHOLM— According to new findings, Women may suffer more from rheumatoid arthritis compared to men.

The Finnish researchers believe their findings may be down to physical strength, as women are naturally weaker than men and thus feel the strain more.

The details of their study from 25 countries that included over 6000 patients is published in Arthritis Research and Therapy.

It is already known that the disease is more common in women than in men, more than 70% of those with rheumatoid arthritis are female. In the latest study, the men and women were asked to complete questionnaires about their disease and underwent x-rays and blood tests to gauge how advanced their arthritis was.

Hormones may play a role.

As stated by Professor Alan Silman, a spokesman for the Arthritis Research Campaign, said: “One of the most fascinating and unexplained aspects of rheumatoid arthritis is the strong female excess in incidence, although this narrows substantially after the menopause.

“This provides powerful evidence that hormonal factors are involved in the disease.

“Furthermore men who develop the disease need to have a stronger genetic background than women.

Arthritis is an inflammation of the joints, which often brings those who
suffer from it pain and stiffness in the affected areas. Generally the pain is
defined as either “chronic” or “acute” which is the short-term variety. After a
three month period, this pain is considered to be chronic. Both of these types
of pain can be mild to severe and, for too many people suffering from arthritis,
their daily living activities are affected. Indeed, many will be dealing with
pain for the rest of their lives.

WebMD states that, “Chronic pain is a key health problem in the United States
and is one of the largely weakening effects of arthritis. More than 40 million
Americans experience from some form of arthritis, and many have chronic pain
that restricts daily activities. Osteoarthritis is by far the most frequent form
of arthritis, affecting about 16 million Americans, while rheumatoid arthritis,
which affects about 2.1 million Americans, and is the most crippling form of the
disease.” Obviously, arthritis and the chronic pain that so very many are
suffering from are not isolated instances.

Unfortunately, due to our population ages rising these numbers are increasing.
Many people may find themselves dealing with arthritic moments along with their
senior moments. However, just because a body is aging, it does not mean that the
body must have joint pain.

There is optimism among all the doom and gloom. Healthcare providers, from
primary care physicians to physical therapists and rheumatologists, are
recognizing the value of exercise as part of a plan to relieve arthritis pain,
even in fairly severe, chronic cases! It is a natural inclination to want to
relax and move around as little as possible when we are in pain, when in fact,
it can actually make matters worse for those with arthritis pain. This is not to
say that just any exercise is suggested; it is definitely a good idea to consult
with a professional to ensure that you are choosing exercises that will bring
about positive results.

Joint pain relief is gaining attention in the supplement aisle.

Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alan_King