Joint pain can be a frustrating condition, and one that many people suffer from during different stages of their lives. However, it is most common if you are going through a time of hormonal imbalance, such as menopause. Fortunately, there are things you can do to relieve and prevent pain in your joints. Continue reading to discover five lifestyle changes you can make to ease your joint pain symptoms.
Exercising
Though exercise might feel like the last thing you want to do when you are suffering from joint pain, it can be one of the best ways to relieve it. Avoid high impact exercises and instead opt for exercise that are gentle on your joints, such as swimming or yoga. Exercise minimizes the production of inflammatory chemicals in the body, and maintaining a healthy weight also relieves joint pain.
Diet
You can improve symptoms by reviewing your diet and increasing foods that help to ease the pain, while reducing the ones that exacerbate the problem. Many fish, such as sardines, contain oils that suppress inflammation and make calcium absorption more efficient. Leafy green vegetables, mangos, and kidney beans are also excellent additions to your diet that will help reduce joint pain.Try to cut down on processed foods and red meats, which can make your pain more prominent.
Quitting Smoking
Quitting smoking will not only help cure joint pain, but it will also provide a range of other health benefits. Smoking prevents your body from working to its full capacity, meaning that it cannot fight joint pain as well as it could without cigarettes. Nicotine is also known to increase cardiovascular inflammation, decrease blood flow, and thus slow down healing processes, making cigarettes a particularly harmful habit for those suffering from joint pain.
Reducing Caffeine
Although a cup or two of coffee in the morning helps kick start the day for many, in some cases caffeine consumption can actually promote fatigue, especially when hidden sources of caffeine are not taken into account. This can cause heightened joint pain. Replace cups of caffeinated tea and coffee with water, which will help detoxify your system and contribute to alleviating joint pain.
Lowering Stress
Stress can have a very negative effect on your joint health, since it can release inflammatory chemicals in the body. Exercising can help reduce stress, as can taking time out of your day to relax and spend some time alone.
Lifestyle choices have a significant effect on the level of joint pain you suffer from. Fortunately, simple changes can make all the difference in the level of pain you suffer from. In order to give yourself the best chance of relieving and curing joint pain, try to implement the five lifestyle changes above.
For more information about joint pain and how to treat it, follow the links below.
Sources
- Dugdale, D.C. (2012). Joint pain: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 18, 2013, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003261.htm
- Evers, A.W. , Verhoeven, E.W. , van Middendorp, H. , Sweep, F.C. , Kraaimaat, F.W. , Donders, A.R. , Eijsbouts, A.E. , van Laarhoven, A.I. , de Brouwer, S.J. , Wirken, L. , Radstake, T.R. & van Riel, P.L. (2013). Does stress affect the joints? Daily stressors, stress vulnerability, immune and HPA axis activity, and short-term disease and symptom fluctuations in rheumatoid arthritis. Annals of the rheumatic diseases. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2012-203143
- National Health Service UK. (2012). Osteoarthritis. Retrieved October 18, 2013, from http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Osteoarthritis/Pages/Symptoms.aspx