Hey, Where’s that Joint?……………

Ohhhhh, not that one. (Though it might help…………)

Achy joints flame from a whole host of problems, from overuse or repetitive movement, to arthritis, poor postural habits, or from general inflammation of the surrounding muscles, ligaments and tendons, and no matter the reason or area, stiff joints can make movement and bearing weight on them anywhere from mildly painful to downright unbearable, disrupting or even halting daily activity. 

How does yoga help? As always, many ways. It can help not only alleviate stiff or sore joints, it can also help condition the body to prevent future wear and tear. It can help your attitude towards the problem and make you really see things for what they are and come up with a natural sound pain management plan. It can educate you as to the biomechanics of the body and how to wisely apply them. For innate cure comes from knowing the root cause and how to deal and heal from within, tapping into the body’s own powerful healing capabilities. 

First and foremost, one can’t really strengthen a joint, one can only strengthen and lengthen the muscles leading up to it, as well as loosen the tendons and ligaments around the joint to make it function more optimally. Tendons attach muscle to muscle and ligaments attach muscle to bone, so tendons are a bit more pliable and ligaments act more as stabilizers and aren’t nearly as flexible. Overextending, overstretching and overusing either is bad, leading to tension, swelling and inflammation, and even permanent injury, especially in the ligaments. 

Secondly, one can make better informed choices as to how the joints are utilized. Ask the joint to do the bulk of the work and of course they deteriorate more quickly. Wisely posturing the body before big bodily movements, asking all the key muscles to play a role in the movement, neither overworking or underworking any participant and you are on your way to healthier joint capsules that perform more readily and smoothly. Ones that feel like butta! 

Diet, too, can play a huge role in joint inflammation. If your diet is high in sugar, sodium and fat, the joints will pay a price. Eat more fiber, avoid unhealthy animal fats, drink more water and avoid processed foods that contain chemicals that inflame the body’s channels, wreaking havoc along the way. Maybe investigate and incorporate diet supplements into your daily routine, such as turmeric and ginger, shown to have anti-inflammatory and detoxifying effects in the body.

Though you know this and have heard it many times, it’s also really important to take breaks often and change your bodily position no matter your vocation. If you are on your feet all day, lie back, take the weight off, and stretch out those bones and muscles. Likewise, if you sit at a desk and device all day, get up and move around, stretch and move. Change things, move the muscles differently than their habitual patterns. Pay attention to your posture and how you fit into your environment. Is your work set up part of the problem? Take the time to set up your space with ergonomic furniture and tools, ensuring better postural habits while you work. Typing on the couch, for instance, while tempting during COVID days, does you no good.

Finally, breath and relaxation not only loosen the muscles, tendons and ligaments around the joint, they also help you release deeper tension in the fascia, the tissue that holds all these elements together, acting like a lubricant to the body. In addition, oxygen is food and with each inhale, you bring nutrients into the body’s cells. Likewise, each exhale rids the body of carbon dioxide, waste and built-up toxins. Breath changes the chemistry of the body, so efforts to pay attention to it and exercise it like you would the body go a long way in restoring optimal joint health. 

And I guess I can’t lead with a reference to marijuana and not expound upon it. More and more people are turning to CBD and/or medicinal marijuana to combat joint pain. Both relax the muscles and the mind, in turn, turning down the tension and pain. As the muscles around the joint relax, the joint in turn relaxes. While smoking it might not be an option for you, there are creams, balms and even edible options, all of which have been clinically proven to provide relief for arthritis and other joint discomfort. Until marijuana is legal in Virginia, which is on the horizon, embrace the legal options, like CBD-only products which are widely available throughout town and if you want the real stuff, research acquiring a prescription and visiting a medical marijuana dispensary.

Yoga has been critical in dealing with my own joint issues. Inflammation of the tendons is commonly referred to as tendinitis. I have chronic tendinitis in my wrists, elbows and shoulders. It all started in the 70s when I became the local Ms. PacMan Queen (self-anointed). (I can get to The Chase on the first man!) I was also on the tennis team and familiar with tennis elbow, so I fondly called it PacMan Elbow. Fast forward to about 10 years later, I became obsessed with wire-wrapping and started my own jewelry business. I bet I have wrapped a million bead components, that’s no exaggeration. Talking about repetitive motion! Typing exacerbates it (the things we do to blog). Yoga, and a PT, taught me to face my problem and build better habits. First, I put space between my work and I take more breaks, and I literally put more space between the joints and stretch out the muscles throughout the day. I also use better tools that are more ergonomically correct, I work hard to strengthen my biceps and triceps, as well as my core, and lastly strive to work with good posture. I used to make necklaces on the couch. Never again, only at a high work table or bench with good light, for if I can’t see, my head and shoulders droop forward, and the chain of pain and inflammation begins, looping down from my head and neck to the shoulders, elbows and wrists, down to the smaller finger joints.      

There is a common belief that all disease starts from inflammation, whether it be physical, emotional or energetic inflammation, and that something is out of balance. I have found the more I do yoga and pay attention to what’s really happening in my body, the more I avoid bad habits that exacerbate unhealthy conditions and I ultimately make wiser choices. It isn’t magic, but things really do seem to start to fall into their own natural place. We aren’t meant to eat horribly and over indulge our bodies, we are meant to find our own body balance and to keep things in check. So as I pay attention to the overall picture, the finer points, like the joints, reap added benefit. 

No matter what plan upon which you decide, the ancient sage Patanjali (who was first to codify the tenets and benefits of yoga) tells us that ultimately it is up to you. Medical professionals can lead you to the trough, as they prescribe yoga more and more these days, but they can’t make you drink. It takes you, it takes time, patience, consideration and careful observation, it takes building good habits and most of all, practice, practice, practice, all the traits so readily honed on a mat. Yoga, anyone?