If you are old enough to get the reference, it might be time to think about joint replacements!! Joint-replacement patients are younger and more active than ever before. More than half of all hip-replacement surgeries performed this year are expected to be on people under 65, with the same percentage projected for knee replacements by 2016.The fastest-growing group is patients 46 to 64, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery. Right now over half of these surgeries are paid for by Medicare but more and more are being covered by private insurance. Analysts fear that replacement surgeries could break the Medicare bank as well as cause steep inclines in insurance premiums.
What can you do? While not all joint replacements are preventable, there are a few things you can do now to reduce your chances of needing surgery later.
1- Maintain a healthy body weight. Our bones are designed to handle a certain amount of weight so excess can lead to joint deterioration
2- Exercise- Strong hip, core, and leg muscles are key to healthy hips and knees. Our sedentary lifestyle has led to weaker muscles which contribute to deterioration and pain. I’m a big fan of Lance Armstrong’s website and he has some great exercises for hips. Click here for more info.
3- Nutrition- carbonated soft drinks are a huge culprit in decreasing bone density. Carbonated drinks have a high phosphate content, which binds calcium in the bowel and reduces the absorption. Phosphate also forms acid in the bloodstream which then leaches calcium from your bones to maintain balance in the bloodstream. In other words, carbonation steals calcium from your bones, this is especially troubling for women who are already susceptible to osteoporosis. Bone loss is showing up at a much younger age as soda replaces milk as the beverage of choice.
Today is the day to start preparing yourself for the future!
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