Most people understand that their car needs oil to run smoothly and that they have to keep oiling their bike chain to keep it spinning freely. What they don’t understand is that their body requires oiling as well. The oil of the body is Synovial Fluid.
What is Synovial Fluid?
It is a thick, straw-colored substance that lubricates all your joints. Synovial fluid minimizes the friction in your joints and helps your bones glide past each other when you bend, extend and rotate.
It has an egg-white consistency that thickens under pressure providing shock absorption.
But that’s not all it does
Synovial fluid supplies nutrients to the joint and removes waste products created by regenerating bone cells.
When your synovial fluid is low, it can stop movement
It is important to keep your fluid levels high to keep your joints flowing freely.
Injuries to the joint can cause a loss of synovial fluid
It is so important to keep an injured joint moving to keep it oiled up and lubricated. Do your movements after an injury or surgery.
Aging affects the freedom in your joints
Joint fluid contains high amounts of large hyaluronic acid molecules, which naturally cushion your joints and other tissues. With age, the size of the hyaluronic acid molecules in your joints decreases, inhibiting its ability to support cushioning and lubrication.
Synovial fluid can become too thick or too thin
When the consistency of the fluid changes, it cannot provide the correct lubrication to protect the joints, which can lead to cartilage damage and osteoarthritis.
Diseases
Synovial chondromatosis, is a disease that causes abnormal, non-cancerous cartilage growth. As the nodules grow, they can break off and float in and around the ends of the bones, causing pain when they block the joint’s movement.
People suffering from the pain of osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis often have abnormalities in their synovial fluid.
No matter the reason your joints become “Stove up” as the students in Texas used to say to describe their stiff joints. It has been found that doing yoga-based movements keeps your fluid levels high and your joints moving freely.
Nourish your hip and shoulder joints to fluid freedom with this week’s Ageless Nourish Your Hips and Heart Movement Practice You will oil up your hip and shoulder joints to move with grace and ease.
How stiff are your joints? Share in the comments section below.
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