ligament strain

[logman]

Hi, I've been suffering from ligament strains to my elbow and now to the back of my knee (lef leg left side) How can i stop it and stop it reocurrimg. Thanks..

[snook]

Get into the habit of doing a bit of slow, gentle stretching, without putting any force into it. You don�t necessarily have to go and learn t�ai chi, but I�m sure you�ve seen it on TV or at the gym, so just do your own version of it � a couple of minutes of fairly slow, flowing movements, without any suddenness or stiffness. Just let the movements flow from one into the next. Breathe gently and focus your attention on your hands as you watch them move, and try to keep your spine fairly erect during the exercise. You�ll find that it makes you feel very relaxed, almost sleepy, and as a bonus it will help you unwind and your joints will gradually become more mobile.

If you want, follow that with a few slightly more demanding stretches, reaching up above your head, touching your toes, that type of thing, and holding the stretched position for up to 20 seconds, but without straining. And for your knee strain problem, stand with feet together, bend your knees, put your hands on them and turn them in a circle a few times, first in one direction then the other, fairly slowly. If you do these simple exercises regularly, you won�t be prone to joint or muscle strains.

Also, try to make sure you have a varied diet. Strains can be caused by a lack of certain minerals that are needed for the correct working of the muscles and joints. If you think your diet might be lacking, take a one-a-day multi-vitamin/multi-mineral tablet.