Vim & Vigor - Spring 2011 - Parrish Medical Center - (Page 19)

S PHOTOGRAPHY BY PHOTOLIBRARY it up straight. Drink your milk. Go outside and play. The same advice we give to children is equally applicable to adult orthopedic health. The language may be a bit more technical, but good posture, proper nutrition and the right approach to exercise can keep bones strong, joints limber, and the entire body more healthy and pain-free. In fact, our bones and joints would have a lot to say, if we took the time to lis- ten. Here’s what they’d want us to know to keep them in tiptop shape, head to toe. Jaws: CALCIUM AND VITAMIN D.” Elbow: STRESS INJURY.” “GET ENOUGH “AVOID REPETITIVE Bone strength is like a retirement plan: The earlier you start saving, the more beneﬁts you’ll have when you really need them. “Think of the concept of a ‘bone bank’—one that we have to pay forward,” says trauma director Laura Phieffer, M.D., a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Adults begin a gradual decline in bone strength after their mid-20s, and women get a “double hit” during menopause, Phieffer says. Regularly consuming foods or supplements that are high in calcium can slow the rate at which the mineral is leached from bones. In general, aim for at least 1,000 milligrams of calcium a day, Phieffer says. Pregnant or lactating women and those 40 and older: 1,200 to 1,300 milligrams. And don’t forget the vitamin D. Without sufﬁcient vitamin D—up to 1,000 International Units daily—“you won’t absorb the calcium,” Phieffer says. “Americans tend to use bones, joints and muscles in the same direction repetitively,” says Anne Reicherter, Ph.D., a member of the American Physical Therapy Association. We sit at a desk at the ofﬁce, and to relax after a long day at work we … plop down in front of a computer or TV screen. Build Your Bone Bank Early By the time you hit 30, bone health is all about maintenance, which is another reason parents should pay extra attention to their children’s nutritional habits through the teen years and early adulthood. After all, you won’t be able to maintain something that hasn’t been built to start with. “Make sure [children and teens] are getting calcium and a healthy diet,” says Laura Phieffer, M.D., spokeswoman for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. “Younger women, for example, stop drinking milk and start drinking diet sodas, which is really setting them up for a potentially bad outcome and hurting themselves later.” Vim & Vigor · SPRI NG 2011 19

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Spring 2011 - Parrish Medical Center

Vim & Vigor - Spring 2011 - Parrish Medical Center
Table of Contents
Tasty Tips
Opening Thoughts
Community Calendar
What’s New?
Watch Your Step
A Workout for Every Mood
Don’t Fail Your Heart
If Your Bones Could Talk
Healthy Travels
Over 40 and Fabulous
Do-It-Yourself Health?
Fighting Words
Balancing Act
Giving & Getting
Fitness & Wellness Go Hand in Hand
Stopping PAD in Its Tracks
Community Health
Foundation Focus
Ask the Expert

Vim & Vigor - Spring 2011 - Parrish Medical Center