Dr. P.V.Radhakrishnan

An average person experiences two fractures during his or her lifetime and same holds true for joint related injuries. The severity of this condition depends on a number of factors, ranging from the forces responsible for injury and location to the damage done to the nearby tissues and bones.

How age plays a role in your chances of getting a fracture?

Your risk and severity of developing a fracture, depends, to a certain extent on your age.

A very common occurrence during childhood is crippling joint related injuries, the fractures that you tend to have during this time are generally less complex than the broken bone instances that you stand to experience when you enter adulthood.

With time, your bones become fragile and you become prone to broken bones sustained from falls, which you wouldn't when you were young. Furthermore, as you step into your 50th year, you can get struck by the bone condition osteoporosis, a leading cause of bone fractures during this time. For women, menopause makes them more susceptible to osteoporosis (as infrequent periods and hormonal changes at this time lead to loss of bone mass) and subsequently broken bones.

Preventing crippling joint injuries need many steps in a younger generation known as prehab especially for sporting population and adult population involved in a day to day activities requiring your body getting subjected to physical stress.

Simple steps to get your joints back to normal in case you do get into injuries.

1. Having a calcium and vitamin d rich diet to strengthen bones
2. Exercising to strengthen bone and muscle health as well as your balance
3. Taking relevant medicines to make your bones strong
4. Going for timely bone mineral density test to determine the health of your bone
5. Exposing yourself to the sun for about 20 minutes everyday
6. Having a requisite calcium intake of 1000 mg and 1200 mg for pre- and postmenopausal women respectively
7. Preventing a fracture by modification in your household furniture, extra clothings, sometimes addition of simple orthotic devices, improving your muscle reaction time etc go in long way to help prevent falls. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an Orthopedist.

People who regularly work out can go on about its benefits and also show off a toned physique. However, a bad or improper movement can be more harmful than no exercise at all. Read on to know some common exercise moves that are best avoided for their potential harmful effects.

1. Dumbbell punches: By holding dumbbells and punching them forward into the air, you are just spending your energy with absolutely no return from it. It is good as a conditioning one if done for a long time, but does not help the shoulders or the arms. Bicep curls and triceps extensions yield much better results than these punches.
2. Shoulder Shrugs: The only muscle that gets worked here is the trapezius, which is at the top of the shoulders and the neck. The arms and the back do not get any benefit and shoulder shrugs can actually cause postural problems and increase shoulder tension. Best avoided if you are not a professional bodybuilder.
3. Thigh machines: One of the most ineffective machines in the gym, the poor posture and no workout for the abs is one of the reasons the outer and inner thigh workouts should be avoided. Better results can be achieved with squats and lunges, which also help more muscles and help in losing weight.
4. Plank rows: While plank rows or board lines work very well for core strengthening, it is not as effective for back and arm strengthening. Better results are achieved with the usual lines for these areas.
5. Lat pull-downs behind the neck: This can be very harmful for people who have even minor shoulder joint problems. The idea is to build arm, torso, and back muscles by pulling a weighted bar down the front and back of the chest area. This can cause misalignment, shoulder impingement, or a tear in the rotator cuff, and in severe cases, even cervical vertebral fracture.
6. Military Presses Behind the Head: Similar to a lat pull-down, here also, a barbell is lifted up and down behind the head and can cause the same problems as the earlier one, including fracture of the cervical spine.
7. Squatting on a bosu ball: These colorful equipment are very alluring but can be really dangerous and can cause ankles and knees to be injured, causing meniscal tears or disruptions.
8. Crunches: When improperly done, crunches produce the same position as one achieves while working on the computer - head forward and rounded shoulder. Crunches are meant to be done by pulling up on the head and not using the abs, as most people incorrectly do.

Make sure you get a trainer's advice on the right ways to work out so as to get the maximum benefits and avoid injuries.

An overloaded backpack or wearing one improperly can lead to a poor posture, stress on the soft tissue in the neck and the back, and unnecessary strain on muscles and joints.