Vail, CO Orthopedic Shoulder Surgeon, Dr. Peter Millett, Offers Tips For Maintaining Healthy Joints

July 10, 2012 - PRLog -- Keeping Up With The Game of Life
Everyday Tips For Maintaining Healthy Joints

Throughout childhood, everyone experiences the occasional skinning of a knee, or bruise from a fall.  These common injuries heal quickly and cause little concern for worry. While the ailments from life’s little stumbles can be nursed back to health, there are bigger, hidden concerns that start early and sometimes never return to normal.  Joint health is something you can’t see with the naked eye, making it a big reason why millions of Americans take it for granted.

Though everyday activities put a great amount of mechanical stress on our joints, Dr. Peter J. Millett (http://www.drmillett.com), orthopedic shoulder and knee surgeon with the Steadman Clinic in Vail, CO, offers these tips for maintaining healthy joints:

Exercise for Fun, Train for Health
More than 3.5 million kids receive medical treatment for sports injuries annually. While sports offer a fun way to exercise, they can sometimes be taken too far. The mindset that the more you train the more you gain, unfortunately, leads to overuse and overtraining which can cause irreversible damage. It’s important to train smart in order to avoid injury. This includes consistent and adequate rest between training periods, implementing an effective stretching protocol, and taking time off from sports when aches and pains arise.

Manage a Healthy Body Weight
Maintaining a healthy body weight is crucial to long-term joint health. The knees and ankles tend to bear the biggest brunt of the body’s weight, so every extra pound that is packed on means that your precious joints are having to work extra hard to carry the load. Obesity is a risk factor for many health related conditions, and it has been noted that it speeds up the process of cartilage breakdown — a component that is essential for healthy joints.  Maintaining a healthy weight by eating right and staying active will help ensure joint health for years to come.

Maintain a Balance Between Motion and Rest
While staying active is necessary to maintain a healthy body, there has to be a balance between motion and rest. Engaging in repetitive motions, or the same activity day after day can put great strain on the body. This overuse can wear down cartilage and loosen tendons leading to injury. The key is to pay attention to your body. When you feel pain or discomfort during or after certain activities such as household chores or exercise, it’s important to take a break and consider eliminating the activity for a period of time.

Strengthen and Stretch to Stabilize
When your body is properly aligned, your muscles and joints work together in harmony to stabilize and take the burden off of one specific body part. Just like when a car is out of alignment, the body can get out of alignment too. Building muscles through strength training exercises, and maintaining a strong, healthy core will help stabilize, support and guide the muscles.  A proper stretching regime is equally important to help enhance circulation and improve range of motion.

Joint Preservation in Lieu of Joint Replacement
Regardless of your activity level, everyone will endure some natural wear and tear of the joints.  For some who experience chronic joint pain, joint replacement surgery is an option. However, it is usually only recommended for older adults, or for those who have tried other alternatives. Joint preservation to delay joint replacement surgery offers individuals the chance to restore their joints through the use of highly advanced techniques and procedures. While cartilage cannot be repaired, they can be preserved to avoid the future onset of rapid degeneration.


Dr. Peter J. Millett is an orthopaedic surgeon and partner at the internationally renowned Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado. Consistently selected as one of the "Best Doctors in America," Dr. Millett specializes in disorders of the shoulder, knee, and elbow, as well as all sports-related injuries. He uses advanced open and arthroscopic surgical techniques to restore damaged joints, ligaments, and bones. For more tips for maintaining healthy joints, visit http://www.drmillett.com.