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Joint troubles are among the most widespread problems faced
by strength training athletes. Certainly we have all had an
ache or pain in a knee, elbow, or other joint at times, but
constant, enduring pain is another story. Naturally there
are diverse types of problems that cause frequent joint pain
in athletes and regular people alike. Some joint pain can
be alleviated by warming up properly before workouts, and
by not over training.
The most common kinds and causes of joint pain that trouble
athletes are:
• Arthritis: caused by wearing away of the joints, and
distinguished by a deterioration of the cartilage at the ends
of the bones.
• Bursitis: caused by inflammation or injury to the
fluid sacks in the joints.
• Tendonitis: when the tendons around a joint become
severely inflamed from overuse, micro injury etc.
About 80% or more of most bodybuilders’ joint pain is
completely inevitable. More often than not, they
1. Hardly ever warm up sufficiently
2. They over train
3. They use excessively heavy weights/low reps more frequently
than they should
4. They don’t let their joints, tendons, muscles, etc.
recover from heavy workouts
5. They use less than perfect form during heavy lifts
6. They don’t consume enough nutrients
Joint troubles can also be due to heredity, but maladaptive
exercise form is one of the most common culprits. Maybe you
are genetically inclined to having joint troubles, but it’s
more likely that your form is poor and you are hyper-extending
or over flexing your joints.
Your first priority should be to use correct form for all
exercises when you first undertake resistance training. You
should strengthen adaptive and correct muscle firing patterns
through high repetitions. Nerve, spinal and joint irregularities
are the consequence of failure to do so. Collective injury
will happen ultimately, and at times this damage is permanent.
Toxicity
Joint pain, along with respiratory problems, back pain, allergies,
mood changes and insomnia are some of the indications of toxicity
frequently found in bodybuilders. For this reason, you need
to clean your organs. The body’s central organ for detoxification
and other vital metabolic processes is the liver. This organ
has over 500 roles, several critical for life.
The liver produces all proteins, cholesterol and blood clotting
factors. The liver also metabolizes drugs and alcohol. Bodybuilders
who use oral steroids add more stress to the liver because
steroids interfere with certain enzymes. To combat toxicity,
it is important to add supplements such as Milk Thistle to
your diet.
Sodium
Joint troubles can be related to sodium intake – are
you taking in enough organic sodium? Or are you consuming
too much inorganic sodium (example table salt) in your diet?
Cetyl Myristoleate
Researchers worried about joint pain and health have been
paying a good deal of attention to a fatty acid with the unpronounceable
name Cetyl Myristoleate. A researcher at the National Institutes
of Health discovered this fatty acid, and it seems very promising
as a compound that significantly decreases joint pain attributable
to a variety of causes. Several bodybuilders actually swear
by it.
Flax Oil
A lot of bodybuilders and other sportspersons are starting
to notice the numerous benefits of flax oil for all kinds
of uses. Flax oil is remarkably high in Omega-3 fatty acids,
which have been shown to reduce inflammation of any kind.
Fatty acids do a lot for hard training bodybuilders, and just
adding 1-3 teaspoonfuls of flax oil to a protein drink or
over a salad daily will decrease the pain in your joints.
Gelatin
The chief ingredient in good old Jello might, as odd as it
may appear, be just what the doctor ordered for painful joints.
Gelatin has a very high level of two amino acids, proline
and glycine, which play an important part in collagen creation.
Collagen is a vital structural protein that forms an important
part of bones, tendons and connective tissues. To equal the
amount of proline in just 10 grams of hydrolyzed gelatin,
you’d need 43 grams of dried egg whites or 35 grams
of dried nonfat milk or 89 grams of lean beef.
A rising amount of studies have shown that the ingestion of
just ten grams per day of hydrolyzed gelatin is helpful in
significantly reducing pain, improving mobility and general
bone/cartilage strength. However, bone metabolism is fairly
intricate and not completely understood. The Jello people
have prepared a product especially for bone health and joints
called NutraJoint.
Herbal Relief from India
The inhabitants of Bagbahera region in India prepare special
herbal oil using the tuber of the Adrak plant to treat joint
pains. The tuber is crushed and the fluid is removed. This
fluid is added to Til Seed oil and the solution is boiled.
The oil is massaged on aching joints for pain relief. Once
prepared in bulk, the oil can be stored for up to six months,
after which it starts losing its medicinal properties.
The people of Bilaspur region use Asgandh roots for joint
pain treatment. The root is dried and converted into powder.
This powder is taken twice a day with sugar in lukewarm water,
and the inhabitants of the region say it is one of the promising
treatments. The intake of Asgandh in this form may have other
health benefits as well, so the people of Bilaspur never miss
the chance to take advantage of this herb.
Finally
If chronic joint pain is taking the fun out of your workouts,
get an opinion from a good sports medicine doctor as to precisely
what your problem is, so you can treat it accordingly.
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