The practice of amateur or professional sport is usually associated with one repeated scheme that concerns joint overloading. Quite often in conversation with people at the gym I hear that their shoulder, knee, back hurts, and all this is related to joints and their motor problems, which mainly concern their structure. What's more, it seems to me that despite the tendency to inform the public that the joints need to be as thorough as the diet, the number of people complaining of pain increases.
How to care about joints?
Analyzing the statements of the trainers, one can notice several recurring analogies
- inadequate time to warm up the joints and body,
- too long and too frequent trainings,
- too frequent use of heavy series,
- neglecting regeneration,
- neglecting the training technique,
- not taking into account in the diet components supporting the regeneration of joints.
Of course, each of us in the course of strength training had an episode in which there was pain in the elbow, knee or hip, but usually unimpressive for us, the overload states themselves passed after a few days of rest. However, when the pain lasts a considerable amount of time, it may be information for you that it is necessary to take care of the topic seriously, and waiting until it passes will lead to the build-up of troubles.
What are the main problems with joints?
Typically, the common denominator of joint problems is their pain. It is directly related to the inflammation that develops in our overloaded movement apparatus.
We mainly distinguish
Arthritis
In the context of general inflammation, we distinguish episodic as well as those that are the result of rheumatoid disease. Bodybuilders usually only have problems with periodic inflammation of the bones and joint structures themselves. However, untreated inflammation will severely damage the articular cartilage, which will become rough with its smooth and homogeneous structure, further enhancing the pain effect. Typically, this type of action ends with a strong degeneration of the joint and burial of a sports career.
Bursitis
Before we get to the description of the problem, you must know that our pond has small bags filled with liquid, which are called bursae. They perform functions that support the joint as well as the muscles in the form of shock absorbers minimizing friction. If the overload condition affects our small shock absorbers, the pain immediately shows that something is happening, and the full mobility of the joint can be severely limited. Typically, bursitis occurs in the shoulder or elbow joint. Untreated inflammation can cause that our joints will never return to full strength, which allows you to practice sports at a higher level than recreational.
Tendonitis
Is the most common form of "injury" among bodybuilders. Fortunately, tendinitis among the three dysfunctions seems to be the easiest form of inflammation to control. However, it is worth remembering not to underestimate the pain, which can cause serious problems and exclusion from training for a longer period of time when the tendon ruptures. A break from training plus the inclusion of anti-inflammatory supplementation usually gives a quick positive effect.
What are the natural treatment options?
At the beginning, we take for granted that the reader of this article knows the basics that are meant to take care of the joints. He uses the right forms of warm-up, as well as takes care of the training technique, and each training is completed with a few minutes of cool down combined with stretching and mobilization.
However, I would like us to focus on a different aspect of supporting our joints, such as the use of natural compounds, the use of which will allow them to keep them in a good condition. Unfortunately, the use of traditional treatment based on popular NSAIDs usually treats only the symptoms, not the source of the problem. This makes the inflammation come back as soon as we start a harder training period.
What natural products can we use in the diet?
Gelatin
It is made of collagen, a protein of animal origin. Gelatin abounds in two key amino acids for our joints, which are glycine and proline. 10 g of hydrolysed gelatin will be equivalent to 43 g of dried egg white, 35 g of dried milk without fat or 90 g of lean beef. So how do we see the amount of food that provides the daily supply of gelatin, which will show a pro-health effect, is not great. Appropriate supply of gelatin in the diet will protect collagen in our body before its use and degeneration. What's more, it will participate in the process of bone formation as well as the synthesis of joint cartilage cells. Some scientific studies indicate that gelatin also has analgesic properties.
Linseed oil
The high intake of linseed oil in the world of bodybuilding is one of quite typical phenomena, all due to its richness of EFAS, or essential fatty acids. Flaxseed oil contains linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid. The first one belongs to the omega 6 family, while the other one is the omega 3 acid. ALA contained in linseed oil has a strong anti-inflammatory effect, which is comparable to the strength of anti-inflammatory drugs. However, we must remember that the consumption of a natural compound is devoid of the negative consequences of drugs. The action of ALA acid is the reduction of prostaglandins, substances that determine, among other things, the inflammatory process in our body. They perform many other important functions, such as regulation of blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, response of our immune system,or even affect anabolic and catabolic processes. The amount of linseed oil in our diet should be about 3 large tablespoons a day, which should be an effective amount of support for our joints.
Glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate
Glucosamine is considered one of the better substances, the action of which affects the reconstruction and regeneration of joint cartilages. However, it should be noted that the supplement used solo is characterized by low efficiency. Therefore, it is usually recommended to combine it as part of multi-constituent preparations, and the minimum with the participation of chondroitin, which improves the effectiveness of glucosamine supplementation. Glucosamine dosage should be about 1-2 g per day, however, it is recommended that the supplementation be divided into several portions throughout the day. In turn, chondroitin should be used in a double amount of glucosamine, in this case from 2 to 4 g per day.
Antioxidants
The use of antioxidants will have a twofold significance. First of all, they should be eaten in the vicinity of fatty acids, which we place in the diet, which will help in their more effective use preventing from oxidation. Secondly, they will protect the body against the effects of free radicals, which, as you know, cause a number of lesions in the tissues, including the joints. Typically, the basic doses of vitamin C and E. are used here.
Summary
Proper care of the joints first of all has its beginning already before the training, when the movement apparatus should be well warmed up and prepared in a dynamic angle to the effort. We can not forget about the proper training technique as well as using the so-called cool down after effort.
It is only by caring about the solid basis of our effort that we can fully use the richness of natural diet ingredients that will significantly increase the effectiveness of preventive action before the injury. These diet components are also a great way to fight chronic injuries that start with the development of inflammation. They will help to silence the inflammatory process, they will act painkilling, soothing and protective.
