The Importance of Good Orthopedic Health (Guest Post)

Enough awareness has been created about good health and fitness for most of us to jump on this bandwagon. But how many of us focus on orthopedic health too? Most people who exercise, especially the women, tend to go with cardio work outs because they make you sweat, feel good and lose weight in the long run. They stay away from strength training because they do not know that it is important or because they do not want bulky muscles.

But what people do not realize is that working out with free weights or doing exercises using the weight of your own body helps you increase the strength of your bones and keeps you from falling prey to osteoporosis, arthritis and other bone-related diseases. Besides this, if your bones are healthy and strong, you don’t run the risk of fractures when you suffer a fall or meet with an accident. And if you’re an athlete, sportsperson or someone who exercises a lot, good bone health is extremely important to prevent injuries that could turn out to have devastating consequences.

I learned about the importance of bone health only after I took two major spills on the racquet ball court. An avid enthusiast of the game, I focused more on my playing skills rather than my fitness levels for a while, and as a result of this foresight, I took a tumble and ended up fracturing my ankle. After a long recuperation period of six months, I was back on court, but I still did nothing to improve my fitness, strength and balance. So it was no major surprise that I fell again, this time tearing my anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and getting my knee locked too.

A reconstructive surgery, three weeks on crutches and an extremely painful but fruitful rehab period made me come to my senses, and I began to see the importance of strengthening my thighs and legs if I wanted to continue to play the sport. With my physiotherapist, I devised a routine that would both help my knee regain its full range of motion and get my hamstrings and quads in great shape. I stuck to this schedule for the next four months, and when my doctor said I could go back to playing, I made sure I was fighting fit before I stepped on court.

It’s been a year now, and I’m happy to say that I have never felt more flexible and balanced on the court. I still continue my squats, lunges, leg lifts and other strength training exercises that gave me a great sense of balance and a toned body to boot, because I know that as long I keep doing them, I have nothing to fear for the safety of my bones.

By-line:
This article is written by Kat Sanders, who regularly blogs on the topic of xray tech salary at her blog The X-Ray Vision-aries Blog. She welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: katsanders25@gmail.com.

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