Risk of Disease Facing the Hinge Joints and How to Prevent it

The human body consists of various joints that allow the body to move. One of the joints contained in the human body is the hinge joint. Just like other parts of the body, the hinge joint is at risk of experiencing interference due to various things. Joints are areas where two bones are connected by connective tissue. Joints throughout the body allow one-way movement. If you have a hard time imagining how this joint works, try to imagine a hinge on a door that can only move in one direction.

Diseases of the Hinge Joint

One of the hinge joints on the human body is the elbow. Elbows are formed by meeting between the humerus bones in the upper arm and the radius and ulna in the forearm. There are many disorders that can afflict the hinge joint in the elbow, such as tendinitis, sprains or broken joints. However, there are two disorders of the elbow that most often occur and are associated with hinge joint disorders, namely:

• Elbow arthritis (arthritis)

This disorder causes the joints to become swollen so that movement becomes limited. Arthritis makes the elbow experience pain, can not be moved, and feel hot. The causes of arthritis include rheumatoid arthritis, reactive arthritis (Reiter's disease), gout, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.

• Elbow joint infection (septic arthritis)

In this condition, the hinge joints on the elbows are infected with bacteria, generally Staphylococcus and Streptococcus types. This disease usually affects someone who has a low immune system, drug users whose use is injected into blood vessels (intravenously), diabetics, and corticosteroid drug users. In general, elbow joint infections and elbow arthritis characterized by several relatively similar symptoms, including pain in the joints, difficulty moving, swelling, heat, redness, and fever accompanied by sweating and chills. Immediately contact a doctor if you feel some of these symptoms.

Things to Do for Keeping Your Joints Healthy

In addition to hinge joints, there are still several other types of joints on the human body, namely swivel joints, saddle joints, bullet joints and glide joints. Not only the hinge joints must remain in a healthy state, other joints must also be sought always healthy. Here are tips for keeping hinges and other joints healthy:

• Don't be lazy to move

Actively moving is the key to maintaining joint health. If you are active, stiffness in the joints can be reduced. You don't have to do complicated moves. Simply stretch, especially after sitting or in the same position for a long time.

• Stretch after exercise

Many people stretch before warming up, which is when the muscles are cold. The truth is to stretch after you warm up before exercising, or when cooling down after exercising. The aim is to relax the ligaments, tendons and joints.

• Choose mild exercise

Avoid choosing exercise that is too heavy to prevent the joints from supporting excessive loads. Instead, choose a mild exercise such as walking, swimming, or biking.

• Do strength training

You can also do strength training to strengthen joints, including hinge joints. Try holding the tennis ball and holding it firmly for a maximum of 10 seconds, then repeat a few more times. This exercise is effective in increasing the strength of the wrist joint.

• Use protection

When doing physical contact sports, such as playing roller skates, skate board, soccer, or skiing, don't forget to use joint protection or padding. The goal is to protect the joints in the event of an accident in sports.

• Pay attention to body weight

The more weight your body has, the joints will support more and more weight. Therefore, to make the joints stay healthy, try to always maintain an ideal body weight. If you are overweight, try to lose weight slowly.

One more thing to know when doing exercise or sports, is do not do exercises that you feel are beyond your own physical abilities. Doing exercise regularly can make all the joints healthy, including the hinge joints. It's just that if done in excess, it has the potential to cause joint injury or damage.