If you’re interested in having a fit and healthy body, you should take care of your joints and muscles. Muscles are responsible for pulling joints, which allows us to perform movements. They also work together to enable us to chew the food we eat. Even if we sit still, both parts still work together. Nonetheless, both are also prone to injuries. No one wants to end their play day in a sports injury clinic in Singapore.

Muscles and joints permit our body to be flexible for a broad range of movement apart from walking and sitting. Caring for your muscles and joints can only get you so far if you know the right exercise and vitamins you should choose to include in your routine. Having them both stronger and healthier is one way to protect us from injury and improve the body’s balance and coordination.

The Right Vitamins For Healthier Muscles & Joints

Your joints and muscles are involved in injuries and often develop conditions that can affect your movement. Every physiotherapist in Singapore will point out the importance of having healthier muscles and joints. Proper food intake provides your body with the right nutrition to recover from injuries, repairs joints for general mobility and flexibility and strengthens and promotes muscle growth.

Without further ado, here are the essential vitamins and minerals your body needs for muscle and joint health:

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is an essential vitamin that aids in helping rheumatoid arthritis symptoms, and proper intake helps rheumatoid arthritis. In fact, vitamin D deficiency leads to bone loss, which further weakens the joints and worsens muscle pain. It’s also vital for muscle movements and helps protect you against inflammation symptoms. In sports physiotherapy in Singapore, a lack of vitamin D reduces training efficiency in athletes and increases the risk for injuries and acute illness.

Magnesium

Magnesium is an excellent mineral for bones and joints, especially if you’re experiencing chronic pain. It helps relaxes the nerves and muscles since it serves as a plug for nerve receptors and maintains joint cartilage. On the other hand, magnesium also prevents the loosening of tight muscles, thus enabling them to relax and avoid cramps.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is well known for repairing damaged tissues and enhancing muscle health. According to a published study from the University of East Anglia, older people who eat plenty of vitamin C have significantly better skeletal muscle mass than those who don’t. It’s also not surprising why sports physiotherapy often recommends vitamin C since it helps maintain stronger muscles.

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 is an essential amino acid that helps in rebuilding lean muscles after working out or exercising. It’s responsible for helping your body bulk up, and a deficiency in B6 will lead to your body’s inability to absorb amino acids. Every best physiotherapist in Singapore uses vitamin B6 pyridoxine for treating painful conditions due to its antioxidants and anti-inflammatory. It also reduces joint symptoms associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

The Right Food Type For Muscle & Joint Health

If you want to know the right food type for better muscle and joint health, here are a few foods to incorporate into your daily diet:

Nuts and seeds

Nuts and seeds are one of those food types with an abundant source of omega-3 fatty acids, which is beneficial for treating inflammation in joints and connective tissue.

Fruits

Another excellent must-have for your daily diet is fruits. Fruits are a good source of antioxidants, which are also ideal for treating and reducing joint pain. Almost every physiotherapist can attest to the power of a fruit-based diet for treating rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis symptoms.

Cruciferous veggies

Cruciferous vegetables like Cauliflower, Broccoli and Brussels are known to prevent enzymes that are known to cause swelling joints. Such vegetables are also abundant in vitamins and minerals that help optimise muscle growth and repair, which is a must.

Impact Of Exercise On Joint & Muscle Health

Lack of proper exercise can have a negative impact on your muscle and joint health—increasing pain, stiffness and cramping. Exercising is not something that is exclusive to the field of sports physiotherapy and athletes. Both young and old are encouraged to exercise on a daily basis to ensure optimal health.

How it affects the muscles

Exercise is ideal for strengthening muscle cells and issues and resolving impaired muscle metabolism, which helps vascular function. Protecting the joint and its surrounding muscles provides stronger support for bones. Hence weak muscle tissues will cause strain on joints. Not to mention, it also boosts our body’s endurance (cardiovascular system) and neuromuscular activation.

Here are a few ideal exercises for muscular strength that almost every physiotherapist would recommend:

• Weight lifting
• Push-ups and sit-ups
• Gripping
• Planks
• Lunges

How it affects the joints

Our joints are essential for a healthy lifestyle. Hence every sports injury clinic often encourages patients to perform joint-strengthening exercises. Stiff joints can increase pain and the risk of injuries when performing sporting activities.

The right exercise can strengthen the joints, which reduces fatigue by lubricating the joints and enhances blood circulation. Not to mention that regular exercise improves weight control to ease pressure and stress in the hip, knee and ankle areas. The compression of joints during exercise also forces nutrient-rich fluid to flow within the cartilage.

Here are a few ideal types of exercises to strengthen joints that almost every physiotherapist would recommend:

• Weight training
• Stretching exercises
• Low-impact exercises
• Core exercises
• Exercising with an elliptical machine

Are you looking for sports and vestibular physiotherapy? Visit Calibrate Health for professional physiotherapist guidance and osteopathic treatment services.