Waking up, your hands and fingers are stiff, your knees creak and crack with every move and your back is killing you. You are convinced you must have broken a vertebra. Groaning, you all but stagger out of bed. You can hardly move, and putting your socks on is out of the question. What on earth are you going to do?
Perhaps you put up with this dreadful pain for some time, but in the end you drag your sorry body to the health practitioner. An examination followed by a series of tests and then you hear the dreaded truth “you’re in the beginning stages of arthritis”.
Far too often we put up with pain because we don’t know what else to do. Once we start hurting, our body subconsciously protects it. This leads to other muscles overworking or stretching inappropriately to limit the current pain, only to cause ourselves referred pain. So what can you do to naturally heal a sore back/knee/foot/neck/shoulder or arm?
To relieve nagging joint pain, people will try everything from swimming in the Dead Sea to taking a whole host of pharmaceutical and OTC drugs. And while these remedies are sometimes known to produce temporary results, they don’t solve the underlying problem.
The truth is, there are only two things you need to know to end your joint pain for life. These two tips go hand-in-hand, and are the two best-kept secrets for healing joint pain from the inside out.
Incorporating weight bearing exercises into your daily routine can significantly improve arthritis-related symptoms such as pain, stiffness and restricted mobility. Strengthening the muscles surrounding the joints offers the joints significantly more support, resulting in less strain on the joints.
In fact, a study recently published in The Journal of Rheumatology found that patients suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee reported a 71 percent improvement in their knee extension strength, and a 43 percent reduction in their pain after following a four month, home-based strength training program.
The benefits of a strength training routine are many. To reduce joint pain, increase mobility and improve quality of life, the CDC recommends following a basic strength and flexibility training routine which can be done right in the comfort of your own home.
Inflammation is a vital process in the human body. It helps protect vulnerable organs and tissues from greater damage following an injury. It also initiates the chemical processes that heal the body and promote recovery. However, millions of people suffer from persistent levels of unhealthy inflammation, which can cause pain and swelling that never seem to end.
Healthcare practitioners are increasingly convinced that unhealthy inflammation is at the center of many cardiovascular, immunity, brain and joint conditions.
When considering joint disorders such as rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, inflammation is a serious concern as it is known to worsen their symptoms. Chronic inflammation is localized in the joint capsule, creating pain upon movement and reducing the functionality of the appendage.
If left untreated, these conditions can lead to bone degeneration and/or a build-up of fibrin – a protein molecule accumulate around damaged tissue -within the affected joint. Treating the inflammation is a crucial part of joint health maintenance.
Given the relative commonality of joint-related pain and inflammation, many turn to readily available over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, acetaminophen or ibuprofen for relief. While these drugs are effective for initial signs of inflammation like pain and swelling, they do not encourage the repair of damaged tissue. In fact, with prolonged use, they can even cause additional damage to the gastro-intestinal system.
Whether your pain is the result of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or just a long day in the garden, the cause of the pain is inflammation. For many, joint pain is the result of inflammation caused by the age-related breakdown of cartilage in the joints. Most people reach for OTC medications, creating a vicious cycle of dependence. But rather than simply masking the pain or temporarily reducing inflammation, there are ways you can put an end to inflammation by supplying your body with the right nutrients.
