Dr. William Barrett’s Blog

The start of a new year is always a good time to make resolutions and rededicate yourself to improving your joint health. As I have mentioned in prior blogs, there are several things patients can do to decrease the symptoms of osteoarthritis and improve their overall fitness and wellbeing. These include, being ever vigilant about your weight, trying to obtain a more idea body weight. With 1/3rd of the United States population obese, as defined by a body mass index of greater than 30, there is room for improvement. Increasing your exercise level to increase strength and flexibility can also go a long way towards decreasing joint pain. These are two of the biggest factors that affect the symptoms of arthritis.

Weight loss is a fairly simple matter of having fewer calories in than calories burned. While this sounds simple many factors influence a persons diet including, their overall happiness, job situations, and personal situations. Exercise becomes increasingly difficult with the increases of work, particularly in a down turning economy. But, at the start of a new year, take time to look at what you eat, how much you eat, and make a goal of increasing the number of days you exercise. By decreasing weight and increasing strength and fitness you can avoid some of the symptoms of arthritic hips and knees.