According to health experts, arthritis is “swelling and tenderness of one or more joints,” gradually making movement difficult. These joints between the bones, when inflamed or swollen, can cause serious injury.
Therefore, to diagnose diseases, the entity indicated that the following procedures are included:
- Radiographs: They use low levels of radiation to visualize the bone, they can show cartilage loss, bone damage and bone spurs. X-rays cannot reveal early arthritic damage, but they are often used to follow the evolution of the disease.
- Computed Tomography: CT scanners take x-rays from many different angles and combine the information to create cross-sectional views of internal structures. CT scans can visualize the bone and surrounding soft tissues.
- Magnetic resonance imaging: It combines radio waves with a strong magnetic field, it can produce more detailed cross-sectional images of soft tissues such as cartilage, tendons, and ligaments.
- Ultrasound: This technology uses high-frequency sound waves to obtain images of soft tissue, cartilage, and fluid-containing structures near joints. Ultrasound is also used to guide the placement of needles to remove joint fluid or inject medications into the joint.
To stop these diseases, experts recommend the following fruits, which have been shown to be beneficial for joint care:
- Watermelon: According to the Subtropical Agricultural Research Center, this fruit is useful for the treatment of arthritis and osteoarthritis, for its high content of phytochemicals that are antioxidant vitamins such as vitamin C and A, known to prevent and control joint damage. In addition, it has substances such as cucurbitacin B, lithium and zinc, which reinforce the body’s defenses.
- Pumpkin: This food contains carotenoids, known as vitamin A, which are substances responsible for its yellow or orange color and useful for protecting joints from damage. It also has polysaccharides, oils, sterols, proteins with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.
- Strawberries: According to a study at Oklahoma State University, strawberries can control osteoarthritis pain, especially in obese men and women, over 50 years of age; this thanks to its high content of polyphenols. It was learned that in this study, participants with osteoarthritis consumed 50 grams of strawberries for 12 weeks, resulting in reduced pain.
Vitamins to take to take care of the joints
Joints are the point where two or more bones meet. The shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, and knuckles are joints.
However, these points are more than bones. They include soft tissues that surround them, such as cartilage, tendons and ligaments, for example, according to the medical library MedlinePlus.
“Cartilage is the flexible, hard, slippery tissue that covers the ends of bones in a joint. Tendons are tough, flexible bands that connect muscles to bones so you can move your joints. Ligaments connect the bones of the joint to each other to keep them stable when you move.specifies the portal.
Despite their importance, the joints are one of the most punished parts of the body. Your health depends, to a large extent, on the eating habits and lifestyle that people lead. Therefore, there are factors that can negatively affect it, such as obesity, intense practice of sports and even age.
Similarly, many diseases can affect them causing pain and causing stiffness, redness and swelling. Most of them are chronic, that is, they last a long time and some may never go away completely.
In this list is arthritis, which can cause pain and swelling, but over time it can also cause serious damage to the joints, indicates the Mayo Clinic clinical research institute.
Experts indicate that to take care of the joints you should consume some vitamins and minerals that are key to strengthening them. For example, vitamin C plays a key role in stimulating collagen production.
Similarly, vitamin D is essential in strengthening bones and vitamin E, which improves cartilage protection.
As for minerals, calcium and phosphorus are involved in the formation, development and maintenance of bones and joints; magnesium is one of the main components of bone structure; the silicon participates in the synthesis of elastin and collagen, and stimulates bone formation and mineralization, while sulfur is found in collagen, responsible for forming tendons, cartilage and ligaments.