7 Common Remedies for Joint Pain
Joint pain is a common condition that can affect anyone, irrespective of their age. It can result from various causes, such as overuse of certain joints, injury, or even an underlying condition. Whether the pain is acute or chronic, it is essential to seek advice from a doctor to get a comprehensive plan for joint pain treatment. Along with the doctor’s recommendations, a few home remedies and natural treatments can also help manage joint pain.
1. Heat and cold therapy
A common natural treatment for joint pain is the application of heat and cold therapy. For optimum results, make sure to alternate between warm and cold applications.
This helps alleviate pain in the joints as well as the surrounding muscles and tissues. Applying heat helps to increase blood flow to the affected area and relaxes the muscles surrounding the affected joints. Meanwhile, applying cold reduces the inflammation and numbs the affected area. A towel soaked in warm water, heating pad, hot water bottle, or warm compresses can be used for hot compressions.
On the other hand, an ice pack or even a bag of frozen peas can be quite useful for cold compressions. Make sure to use the heat pack and cold pack for not more than 15 minutes.
This means it is recommended to use the heat compress for 15 minutes followed by the cold compress for the next 15 minutes. Doing this a couple of times during the day can help relieve persistent pain.
Usually, joint pain makes it challenging to do any physical activity in the beginning, and it is particularly difficult to do any exercise, especially in the case of chronic joint pain. Yet physical activities like muscle strengthening exercises can be useful joint pain home remedies. This is because the body releases endorphins with these exercises, which helps naturally ease the pain in the joints . In addition to this , muscle strengthening exercises can help improve stamina, strength, range of motion, and flexibility of the joints and the surrounding muscles of the affected areas.
One of the most common causes of joint pain is poor posture, and this is particularly true for joints in the spine. Incorrect posture can lead to other problems like pain in the neck, back, and extremities. When proper posture is practiced persistently, it can provide relief from the strain on the joints and reduce the pain.
Regular exposure to sunlight helps the body to produce vitamin D naturally. This can prevent the joint pain from worsening. The best time to head outdoors to manage joint pain is early morning and late afternoon. During these periods, the intensity of the sun is just right and not strong enough to cause skin issues or sunburn. Staying in the sun for about 15 minutes daily is often enough to alleviate pain in the joints .
When looking for joint pain treatments without surgery, it can be useful to consider swimming. This cardiovascular exercise is not only good for joint pain but also for overall wellness. It is quite similar to high-impact exercises like running, but can be easily done by those looking for low-intensity exercises that will not worsen the joint pain.
Yoga routines include exercises that involve strengthening and gentle stretching of muscles. Practicing yoga on a regular basis can help improve the flexibility of joints and alleviate pain.
Low-impact exercises such as static cycling can be useful to manage joint pain, particularly in the legs and knees. Static cycling boosts the strength of the muscles and flexibility of the joints. As a result, essential support is provided to the affected joints, which helps reduce the strain on the affected areas.
2. Muscle strengthening exercises
Usually, joint pain makes it challenging to do any physical activity in the beginning, and it is particularly difficult to do any exercise, especially in the case of chronic joint pain. Yet physical activities like muscle strengthening exercises can be useful joint pain home remedies. This is because the body releases endorphins with these exercises, which helps naturally ease the pain in the joints . In addition to this , muscle strengthening exercises can help improve stamina, strength, range of motion, and flexibility of the joints and the surrounding muscles of the affected areas.
Further, it is important to ensure that the exercise routines are gentle enough to not aggravate the pain . Also, make sure to do exercises that specifically target the particular areas of the body. For example, if there is joint pain in the knees, doing quadriceps strengthening exercises can help stabilize the muscles around the knees, lowering the pain and strain on the joints.
3. Good posture
One of the most common causes of joint pain is poor posture, and this is particularly true for joints in the spine. Incorrect posture can lead to other problems like pain in the neck, back, and extremities. When proper posture is practiced persistently, it can provide relief from the strain on the joints and reduce the pain.
Consulting a physiotherapist or occupational therapist can help understand the right postures that should be maintained while moving, sitting, and standing.
4. Heading outdoors
Regular exposure to sunlight helps the body to produce vitamin D naturally. This can prevent the joint pain from worsening. The best time to head outdoors to manage joint pain is early morning and late afternoon. During these periods, the intensity of the sun is just right and not strong enough to cause skin issues or sunburn. Staying in the sun for about 15 minutes daily is often enough to alleviate pain in the joints .
5. Swimming
When looking for joint pain treatments without surgery, it can be useful to consider swimming. This cardiovascular exercise is not only good for joint pain but also for overall wellness. It is quite similar to high-impact exercises like running, but can be easily done by those looking for low-intensity exercises that will not worsen the joint pain.
Since water has higher resistance than air, it helps boost the endurance and strength of the muscles, especially in the legs, back, and arms. With the muscles in these areas becoming stronger, the pain in the joints starts to reduce.
6. Yoga
Yoga routines include exercises that involve strengthening and gentle stretching of muscles. Practicing yoga on a regular basis can help improve the flexibility of joints and alleviate pain.
Some of the popular yoga poses that can work as joint pain home remedies include the child’s pose and the downward-facing dog pose. While doing any yoga-based exercises, make sure to consult a professional to avoid any injuries or worsening of pain symptoms.
7. Static cycling
Low-impact exercises such as static cycling can be useful to manage joint pain, particularly in the legs and knees. Static cycling boosts the strength of the muscles and flexibility of the joints. As a result, essential support is provided to the affected joints, which helps reduce the strain on the affected areas.
For best results, starting with the least resistance can be useful, and as strength gradually improves, one can increase the resistance. But make sure not to go overboard as it may increase inflammation, worsening the joint pain. Also, it is essential to be consistent with the exercise routine with short and regular cycling sessions to alleviate the pain and prevent strain on the affected joints.
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