Joints are arguably one of the hardest-working yet most neglected parts of our body. They are the foundation of movement, providing the seamless flexibility and stability that enable us to perform everything from vigorous workouts to routine daily chores.
Hence, prioritising joint health is essential, as it directly impacts your mobility, independence, and overall quality of life.
While age naturally brings about changes in connective tissues that can affect joint mobility, adopting smart lifestyle practices and incorporating specific exercises can mitigate decline.
Addressing this critical topic, Dr David Abbasi, a renowned orthopedic sports surgeon, shared advice on Instagram. Having spent years working closely with bones, joints, and movement, he highlighted 10 specific habits he has intentionally stopped doing to safeguard and strengthen his own joints.
10 Habits You Must Ditch For Stronger Joints
Dr Abbasi captioned his post, emphasising the long-game approach: “Ever wonder what orthopedic surgeons stop doing after years of working with bones, joints and movement? Here are 10 habits most experts outgrow because protecting your joints is a long game.”
1. Ignoring Consistent Pain
Surgeons understand that pain is information. When an area hurts consistently, it’s a signal from your body demanding attention. Brushing it off often leads to delayed treatment and worse outcomes.
2. Skipping Warm-ups
Cold joints and tight muscles are a recipe for trouble. Warm-ups protect muscles, increase blood flow, and prepare the joint capsule for stress, significantly reducing the risk of preventable injuries.
3. Forgetting Mobility and Flexibility
Joint health is about more than just brute strength. Flexibility and controlled movement matter just as much. Dr Abbasi notes: “Stiffness today can become joint stress tomorrow.”
4. Delaying Treatment or Assessment
Waiting it out or overlooking early warning signs doesn’t help. Small problems often turn into much bigger ones when left unaddressed. Early assessment can save months of discomfort and potentially prevent the need for complex intervention later.
5. Relying on Quick Fixes
Joint health is built over time. Temporary solutions like relying solely on pain patches or braces might offer short relief, but the focus must be on long-term solutions: building strength, stability, and enduring healthy habits.
6. Ignoring Posture
Your alignment affects how forces move through your joints. Even small imbalances, whether sitting at a desk or standing, can incorrectly load joints like the hips and knees, causing cumulative wear and tear over time.
7. Overlooking Muscle Strength
Strong muscles support and protect joints. Weakness in key supporting areas, such as the glutes or core, often results in compensatory strain that manifests as knee, hip, or back pain. Strength is your joints’ natural shock absorber.
8. Dismissing Small Injuries
A minor twist or strain, if not fully rehabilitated, can subtly change your gait and movement patterns. Dr Abbasi advises: catching issues early is crucial to keep them from snowballing into chronic problems.
9. Neglecting Daily Habits
How you sit, walk, lift, train, and rest collectively influence joint health far more than occasional gym visits. The consistent micro-stresses from poor daily habits accumulate faster than people realise.
10. Treating Symptoms, Not Causes
Pain is simply the result. Surgeons must focus on understanding and correcting the underlying mechanical issues and instability that are causing the discomfort, rather than just masking the symptoms with medication.