Arthritis is a common issue that affects the lives of people from all walks of life. Athletes acquire a lot of joint injuries throughout their active years, and th...
Arthritis is a common issue that affects the lives of people from all walks of life. Athletes acquire a lot of joint injuries throughout their active years, and they’re more likely to develop it even earlier, but most people will experience it to some degree as life progresses.
Arthritis can be extremely debilitating. Especially if you’re still very active and the constant pain affects your ability to perform at your best.
Today, we’re going to share a variety of arthritis pain relief strategies you can use to conquer arthritis and get back to what you love. Whether that’s getting back in the game, enjoying hikes again, or just living a pain-free life in your older years.
Let’s get started.
Understanding Arthritis
Before you can take the fight to arthritis and come out on top, you have to understand what it is.
Typically, it’s best explained by a joint or tendon swelling and becoming extremely tender. This can make the joint extremely stiff and difficult to move, and it causes the pain you’re likely aware of.
This comes from a variety of causes, but there are two that stand out the most.
First, there’s the normal wear and tear of joints. As you age, your joints break down, and they just aren’t what they used to be. This is accelerated or even worsened by developing joint injuries throughout your life.
Even if you heal properly, the joint experiences more wear than it normally would. This is why athletes and people in extremely laborious fields tend to develop arthritis faster. Wearing appropriate recovery wear can help mitigate some of this damage, but only if you’re diligent with it.
Then, there’s the possibility of a chemical imbalance caused by your metabolic system or your immune system (such as with auto-immune disease) causing your arthritis.
The most common cause is going to be normal wear and tear and accelerated wear from injuries. So, that will be the focus of our tips, today.
1: Adopt an Anti-Inflammatory Diet
One of the core concepts you’re going to see a lot of on this list is the reduction of inflammation. That’s the swelling part of what we talked about earlier, and it’s worsened by several things.
One of the more obscure things that could be causing you to have increased inflammation is the food you eat.
It’s no secret that much of the food you buy in the supermarket today is not exactly healthy, and much of it contains ingredients and chemicals that your body doesn’t mesh well with. This increases inflammation throughout your entire body, and in areas affected by arthritis, inflammation is far more noticeable.
There are different opinions on what the best way to do this is. Many people start a more plant-based diet or go vegan altogether.
Others cut out certain foods such as simple carbs, and some simply cut out all the processed stuff and start eating whole foods they cook to specific standards at home.
The best route for you when it comes to dieting is to consult with a dietitian. They’ll run tests to get to know your exact needs, and they’ll make a custom diet for you.
2: Hot and Cold Treatments Work Wonders
This is something every experienced athlete knows about because it’s a key part of the recovery session after every big game or workout. A great way to combat inflammation is to immediately apply an ice pack, and then switch to a heated blanket, warmed sandbag, or similar heat source.
This helps control the blood flow in the area, and that reduces swelling almost immediately. For additional support and compression, wearing non-compression recovery apparel, such as an elbow sleeve can also be beneficial.
Depending on the frequency of your arthritis pain, you can purchase special one-use commercial products that provide the cold and hot experience with a single application, or you can invest in proper cooling and heating tools like the ones we mentioned above to work into your daily regimen.
3: Introduce a Supplement to Your Diet
One of the most popular arthritis pain relief strategies is to to introduce one or two of a variety of anti-inflammatory supplements into your diet will make your efforts even more effective.
There are tons of plant-based supplements, oil-based supplements, and more that have anti-inflammatory effects. Some of the most popular are green tea, turmeric, fish oil, and vitamin D.
Again, anything you’re eating is something you need to take seriously. While the supplements we’ve mentioned are all normal foods or standard vitamin supplements that almost everyone considers very safe, you should still consult with your physician or dietitian to determine which one is right for you.
4: Address the Core Issue Early
This is one tip that has nothing to do with inflammation reduction, but it’s a great way to reduce your arthritis problems.
If you are suffering from an auto-immune disorder or metabolic problem that is causing your arthritis, minimizing that underlying issue is going to do wonders for your arthritis pain. It’s not always possible to fully fix the problem in this case, but in conjunction with the other tips we’ve provided, you can see some dramatic results.
If your arthritis stems from an injury or wear and tear, it’s best to start working on properly healing that damage and preventing it from getting worse. In some cases, this can mean visiting a manual therapist to promote long-term healing, increase flexibility, and learn techniques you can use to help in the future.
Even better, when you get injured, seek help immediately to ensure it heals properly.
5: Exercise
Exercising might not sound like a lot of fun when you’re dealing with consistent pain, but it is actually a great way to help you heal.
Exercise improves your blood flow, works out kinks, reduces inflammation, and generally improves your overall health. It might not feel great immediately, but you’ll notice your inflammation going away within a few days of starting a proper regimen.
Exercise also helps with weight loss and means you’ll have less weight pushing down on your damaged joints.
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All of these arthritis pain relief strategies are going to provide some relief, but they also require you dedicate time, energy, and resources to your relief.
Thermo Recovery Wear is a simple band-based system that provides unmatched pain relief and comfort for athletic recovery, injuries, and yes, even arthritis.
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