How to Deal with Joint Pain
By Sara Butler
Your body does a lot for you. It helps you do the things you want, experience the world around you, and taste chocolate ice cream! But when something has gone awry and your body hurts, what can you do? The chiropractors at The Joint Chiropractic see patients who complain of joint pain that impacts their daily lives. While regular visits to the chiropractor are great, when you're at home there are a few other strategies to try on your own time that can help get you back in the pain-free saddle!
Try an Anti-Inflammatory Diet!
It's true, you are what you eat. And if what you're eating is highly processed foods, then you may be contributing to the inflammation that's making your joints painful. Remember, food isn't simply something you eat to sustain, it can also be medicine for what ails you if you know what to do.
Foods that can contribute to inflammation include:
- Refined grains
- Refined sugars
- Processed meat
- Prepackaged foods
- Lard
- Shortening
- Margarine
- Soda
- Alcohol
Foods that can help you control inflammation include:
- Wild salmon
- Healthy fats such as those found in coconut oil and avocados
- Probiotics foods such as yogurt
- Fermented foods such as sauerkraut
- Green, leafy vegetables
- Bone broth
If you want to know more about inflammatory foods to add to your diet, talk to the chiropractors at The Joint!
Take an Epsom Salt Bath
Epsom salts are an old remedy, but they work! The warm water helps to soothe your muscles and helps to reduce inflammation in your joints while the magnesium and sulfates in the Epsom salts are absorbed by your skin. This helps to further reduce inflammation if you can soak for at least 20 minutes.
Ice It
Ice goes a long way to help you reduce inflammation and joint pain naturally. The cold applied to the area helps to restrict blood flow, which then helps to reduce swelling and inflammation, which then helps the pain to subside. Just remember that applying ice for too long can be dangerous for your skin, so keep it to 20 minutes at a time and protect your skin with a towel. For certain people, ice therapy also isn't recommended. Discuss it with your chiropractor before you start!
See the Chiropractor
Regular visits to the chiropractors at The Joint can help you keep your spine healthy and reduce joint pain through the correction of joint dysfunction and restriction.
If you have questions or concerns about joint pain, the chiropractors at The Joint are great resources!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Spring, Tex.