五种方法保持关节健康

If the skeleton fails to stand poised and well-balanced when upright, then our joints won't work properly. A simple parallel is a skyscraper standing at an angle - the lifts won't run smoothly up and down their shafts, the doors and windows won't open properly, the desks will inch across floors. The better your joints run, the better you run, and vice versa, so it's important to keep them supple and watch out for signs of trouble.

如果直立时骨架不能维持平衡，那么我们的关节不可能正常工作。一个简单的平行理论是就像倾斜的摩天大楼-电梯不会在上下轴线上运行流畅、门窗无法顺利打开、地板上的桌子会慢慢移动。关节运行越好，你的运就力会更好，反之亦然，所以保持其柔顺和注意危险病灶产生是至关重要的。

1 Don't ignore stiffness

1 不要忽略僵硬

One of the first signs of any joint wearing out is generalised stiffness, particularly after being in one position for too long. With the larger weight-bearing joints such as the hips you might - for example, getting out of the car after a long drive - find it difficult to get upright and take the first few steps. But you can also get a similar sense with non-weight-bearing joints such as an elbow after being bent for a long time.

任何关节磨损的第一迹象之一就是通常意义的僵硬。特别是保持一个姿势时间很长之后，尤其较大的负重关节如髋关节，例如长期驾驶后从车里出来，你可能发现很难直立和最初举步为艰，然而你也可能会有与非负重关节的类似感觉，比如弯曲较长时间的肘关节等。

2 Stretch

2 伸展性

Lack of multidirectional joint looseness, otherwise known as "joint play" makes it much easier for joints to be traumatised by an incidental jolt during daily life. Stretching makes joints more compliant and less susceptible to injury and arthritis. A knee, for example, or an ankle, which has more joint play, will be able to cope better with uneven ground.

减少多向关节松动也被成为"关节内运动"。日常生活中的突然颠簸就会使关节容易损伤。伸展使关节更顺从和减少损伤和关节炎，比如膝关节或踝关节，有较多的联合关节内运动，它们能更好适应不平整的地面。

3 Test your joints to their limits

3 测试你的关节局限性

All joints are wont to get trapped in their middle range of functional movement and losing end-of-range freedom is an early indicator of trouble - even if there is no pain. For this reason it is important to exercise the extremes of "non-useful" movement at every joint. With the big toe, for example, separating it out as far as you can from the other toes helps prevent bunions.

所有的关节习惯于功能性运动的中间范围，失去功能性运动的自由范围，即使不疼痛也是早期的隐患指标。练习一些关节 "无用"运动是重要的，例如你的大脚趾，练习尽可能与其他脚趾分开而帮助预防拇囊炎的发生。

4 Exercise with care

4 运动与护理

Poorly crafted gym regimes often leave the joints out of balance because they concentrate on repetitive joint activity in their middle range which simply emphasises the patterns of every-day use. Dumbbell routines to strengthen biceps do this, when really the elbow needs to be opened out fully to keep you from developing "tennis elbow".

不良的健身运动常常使关节失衡，因为他们集中重复关节在中间范围的运动，而这种运动只是简单的加强关节每天的利用形式。当真的需要打开肘部动作时，常规的哑铃练习可增强肱二头肌，这能完全预防"网球肘"的形成。

5 Don't be afraid to bend

5 不要怕弯曲

The lumbar spine is designed to bend forward and doing so gives the spine's discs a drink by moving fluid around them. This becomes more necessary with age.

腰椎形成就是向前弯曲，如此前后弯曲运动通过周围组织液的流动润滑椎间盘。随着年龄的增长，这种运动更有必要性。