There’s nothing worse than the agonizing pain that comes from sore joints. Arthritis is a common problem that affects more than 40 million people in this country. The most common conditions are Osteoarthritis, Fibromyalgia, and Rheumatoid Arthritis. While you may be tempted to take over the counter anti-inflammatory medications, other methods won’t cause potential damage to your liver. Here are four tips for helping to ease the discomfort of sore joints.
1. Move More and Ache Less
Have you noticed that when you get out of bed you feel stiff and it’s hard to move? However, as the day progresses, you find that moving is not nearly as difficult. When you have arthritic joints, they become stiff when they are not used. The more you move them about, the better they will feel. Having an exercise regimen may be hard at first, but you will quickly feel the benefits. Don’t let the pain keep you sedentary. Moving will be beneficial for those painful joints.
If the discomfort of exercise is too much at once, then you may want to look to options like water aerobics. The water allows better range of motion and can help you to work out without as many limitations.
2. Use Hot/Cold Therapy
Have you noticed how much better you feel after a nice, hot shower? The heat from the water helps to ease the pain caused by arthritis. You don’t need to sit in the tub for it to be beneficial, you can use a heating pad, natural based mentholated creams, or even an electric blanket. Just be sure not to overdo it with the heat or have the temperatures too high.
If the heat is bothersome to you, then you may want to try cold therapy. While heat soothes joints, a cold compress can help with inflammation and pain. Rotate between hot and cold therapy, in 20-minute intervals, if you are in severe discomfort. Find a routine that works for you by trying them both.
3. Add Turmeric to Your Diet
Unlike most over-the-counter pain relievers, turmeric is an all-natural treatment for pain. It’s well known for its assistance with inflammation and joint discomfort. This herb is loaded with curcumin, which is known to reduce the swelling and relieve some of the pain. While you can take a daily supplement of this yellow wonder, you can also incorporate it into your cooking. The recommended dose is around 500 to 1,000 milligrams, and this herb is so safe you can even give it to your older dogs that suffer from arthritis too.
4. Acupuncture
If you want to avoid the methods of Western Medicine that include steroid shots and surgery, then you may look to the Eastern world for help. Acupuncture is well known for its healing properties. While there is no cure for arthritis, it can undoubtedly help to dull the pain receptors in the body so that you feel at ease. The goal is to penetrate one of the 2,000 meridian lines with a needle. By hitting these lines, it opens the pathways so that the flow of qi can be corrected. This ancient art has been used for more than 2,000 years, and studies show that more than 50 percent of patients showed remarkable improvement in their pain levels with regular practice.
By combining several types of holistic therapies, it’s possible to maintain arthritic pain and sore joints. While these methods won’t bring overnight relief, it certainly will help with continued use. You may need to try several remedies until you find something that works for you. With a little bit of trial and error, you can quickly find methods that will allow you to live a healthy life regardless of chronic pain conditions.
