Body man consists of various kinds of joints that allow the body to move. One of the joints in the human body is the hinge joint. Just like other parts of the body, hinge joints are at risk of being disturbed due to the influence of various things.
A joint is an area where two bones are connected by connective tissue. Joints throughout the body allow one-way movement. If you're having a hard time imagining how this joint works, try imagining a hinge on a door that can only move in one direction.
Hinge Joint Disease
One of the hinge joints in the human body is the elbow. The elbow is formed because of the meeting between the humerus bone in the upper arm and the radius and ulna in the forearm. There are many disorders that can affect the hinge joint at the elbow, such as tendinitis, sprains or joint fractures.
However, there are two disorders of the elbow that are most common and are associated with hinge joint disorders, namely:
- Arthritis of the elbow (arthritis)This disorder causes the joints to become swollen so that movement becomes limited. Arthritis makes the elbow painful, immobile, and hot. The causes of this arthritis include rheumatoid arthritis, reactive arthritis (Reiter's disease), gout (gout), psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.
- elbow joint infectionseptic arthritis)In this condition, the hinge joint at the elbow is infected with bacteria, generally Staphylococcus and Streptococcus. This disease usually afflicts someone who has a low immune system, users of illegal drugs whose use is by injection into a blood vessel (intravenously), diabetics, and users of corticosteroid drugs. 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. Call your doctor immediately if you experience any of these symptoms.
y thingWhat to Do to Keep Joints Healthy
Apart from hinge joints, there are several other types of joints in the human body, namely swivel joints, saddle joints, ball joints and sliding joints. Not only hinge joints that must remain in good health, other joints must also be strived to be healthy. Here are tips to keep the hinge joint and other joints healthy:
- Don't be lazy to moveBeing active is the key to maintaining joint health. If you are actively moving, stiffness in the joints can be reduced. You don't have to do complicated moves. Just stretch, especially after sitting or being in the same position for a long time.
- Stretch after sportMany people stretch before warming up, which is when the muscles are cold. The truth is to stretch after you warm up before exercising, or while cooling down after a workout. The goal is to relax the ligaments, tendons and joints.
- choose light exerciseAvoid choosing sports that are too strenuous to prevent the joints from carrying too much weight. Instead, choose light exercise such as walking, swimming, or cycling.
- do lstrength trainingYou can also do strength training to strengthen joints, including hinge joints. Try holding a 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 protectorWhen engaging in physical contact sports, such as rollerblading, skate board, soccer, or skiing, don't forget to use a joint protector or padding. The goal is to protect the joints in the event of an accident in sports.
- Watch your weightThe heavier your body, the joints will support the more weight. Therefore, to keep joints 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 exercises or sports, namely do not do exercises that you feel are beyond your own physical ability. Doing exercise regularly can nourish all joints, including the hinge joints. It's just that if done excessively, it has the potential to cause joint injury or damage.
