8 Tips & Remedies for Arthritis Pain Relief at Home
Are you experiencing arthritis pain? Home exercises and diet changes can help alleviate discomfort. Discover these and other arthritis pain relief remedies here.
Are you experiencing tenderness or pain around your joints? Joint pain is one of the main symptoms of arthritis, along with inflammation, stiffness and swelling in the affected area1.
With 1 in 4 adults in the United States diagnosed with arthritis2, pain relief can be a helpful way to ease these symptoms at home so you can carry on with everyday life.
Not sure where to start? There are a range of home remedies for arthritis that may help relieve joint pain and make your other daily symptoms more manageable. Just make sure you discuss any treatment with a doctor first, to check if they’re right for you.
Here are some of our top arthritis pain relief tips, including exercises, medications and natural remedies you can try in order to help manage your arthritis.
1. Manage Arthritis With Low - Impact Exercises
While achy joints may put you off exercising, they could actually benefit from some light movement. In fact, exercise can be a great way to reduce pain and stiffness caused by arthritis3. Some of the most effective examples of low-impact exercise for arthritis include4:
Walking – a daily walk can get the blood pumping, improve your mobility and enhance your cardiovascular health.
Cycling – ride your bike through the great outdoors to get your joints moving. Try to stick to a moderately intense pace where you can still hold a conversation.
Swimming – this can be easier on your joints than walking, especially if you have knee arthritis. But it still offers a full-body workout that increases your range of motion.
Weight training – strengthen your muscles with simple weighted exercises two or three times a week.
Stretching – simple exercises for those with hand arthritis involve stretching and flexing hands and wrists to help prevent muscles from weakening. Consider leveling up with a hand arthritis exercise ball, which can help aid grip strength and fine motor skills.
Consistent exercise can also help you manage your weight, which can have a huge impact on your arthritis as it relieves excess stress on your joints.
Speak to a doctor about how or if you can integrate exercise into your routine safely to support your treatment.
2. Destress With Yoga and Mindfulness
Reduce arthritis pain
Build strength and balance
Encourage joint flexibility
Increase physical activity
Release stress and tension
Improve sleep
Yoga, in particular, may be a great home remedy for arthritis as it may help5:
You can tailor the type of yoga you practice to suit your needs. You should also consider modifying certain moves or poses to accommodate any pain points, using blocks, straps and chairs where required6.
3. Make Healthy Changes to Your Diet
Your diet can also have an impact on your arthritis7. Certain foods may trigger inflammation and increase your joint pain. Some common types include7:
Dairy
Meat
Eggs
Citrus fruits
Nuts
Wheat
Caffeine
Alcohol
Cutting down on these foods or removing them from your diet may help improve your pain. Here are some other ways a healthy diet may offer arthritis relief:
Vitamin D – adding more vitamin D into your diet can help support bone health and may play a role in reducing inflammation. One of the best food sources of vitamin D is fatty fish, such as salmon, tuna and mackerel8.
Anti-inflammatory foods – try an anti-inflammatory diet by cutting out processed foods and switching to whole foods9.
Switching to a plant-based diet – plant-based diets are often low in fat and high in fiber, which may help with weight management and lowering inflammation10.
4. Try Acupuncture To Treat Arthritis Pain
Acupuncture is a natural remedy for arthritis11. This ancient Chinese practice uses fine needles, which are inserted at certain trigger points on the body, to restore the flow of energy – known as qi11 (pronounced “chee”). But how can acupuncture potentially provide relief from arthritis pain?
A well-placed needle may stimulate the activity of pain relieving chemicals in the body. A release of hormones such as endorphins may help reduce the sensation of pain, while an increase in cortisol may help control inflammation11.
If you’re interested in trying acupuncture as a natural pain relief for arthritis, you should book a consultation with a licensed and experienced practitioner. Your doctor may also be able to recommend one.
5. Work Massage Therapy Into Your Routine
Learning how to relax your muscles also has its benefits. Massage therapy is a popular form of pain management, with 25% of Americans using massage for pain relief in 202012. So, how can this help with arthritis?
Incorporating regular massages into your monthly routine may act as a natural arthritis relief that can13:
Reduce stress
Ease pain around the joints
Increase blood flow
Bring warmth to the surrounding muscles
Before you book a session, you should ask your doctor for further recommendations on how to treat arthritis pain with massage therapy. You can then ensure you choose a style that supports your treatment plan.
6. Find Short-Term Relief With Hot and Cold Therapy
You might have moments where your joints are more painful than usual. If that happens, you could get some short-term pain relief using hot or cold therapy3.
Hot Therapy
You can ease arthritis pain and loosen your joints by applying moist or dry heat to the problem areas. As the joint warms up, your blood vessels get bigger, which means better blood and oxygen circulation14.
Here are some popular heat therapy methods you can try:
Soaking in a warm bath
Taking a steamy shower
Applying a heated pad or compress to the joint
Sitting in a sauna
Cold Therapy
Cold therapy may also help reduce arthritis pain and swelling. Unlike it’s heated counterpart, cold therapy reduces your blood flow to minimize inflammation15.
Here are some simple items you may have at home for cold therapy on your joints:
Ice or frozen gel pack
A bag of frozen vegetables
A damp towel you can freeze
7. Avoid Smoking To Reduce Stress and Pain
One of our top tips for arthritis pain is to quit or avoid smoking. Smoking doesn’t just increase your risk of lung disease and cancer, but it can also cause more damage to your joints and weaken your connective tissue16.
In fact, smoking is considered a risk factor of rheumatoid arthritis, as this type of arthritis is commonly linked to your environment17.
A study has also shown that smokers with osteoarthritis have significantly more cartilage loss than non-smokers, possibly due to the toxins and high carbon monoxide levels could limit cartilage repair16. So, it’s recommended you quit smoking to reduce stress and pain.
8. Use MOTRIN® To Relieve Arthritis Pain
Most treatment plans can also be supported with over the counter arthritis pain relief. Speak to your doctor about which medications you should use, as there are several types available.
If you’re looking for pain relief, a topical arthritis pain relief cream or gel such as MOTRIN® Arthritis Pain Gel can help. MOTRIN® Arthritis Pain is a fragrance-free topical gel made with 1% diclofenac sodium, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), for the temporary relief of arthritis pain. Just apply the topical pain reliever gel into the skin of your elbow, wrist, hand, knee, ankle, or foot. Apply the gel 4 times a day for best results and do not use on more than 2 body areas at once.
You may also want to try MOTRIN® IB Ibuprofen Caplets, which can help temporarily relieve minor aches and pains caused by arthritis and other conditions. Adults and children 12 years and older should take one caplet every four to six hours while symptoms persist.
Speak to your doctor or pharmacist before taking other pain medication when using MOTRIN® Arthritis Pain Gel. Use products only as directed.
References
Osteoarthritis vs. rheumatoid arthritis
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/arthritis/symptoms-causes/syc-20350772Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/data_statistics/national-statistics.htmlArthritis : Diagnosis, Treatment, and Steps to Take
https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/arthritis/diagnosis-treatment-and-steps-to-takeExercise helps ease arthritis pain and stiffness
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/arthritis/in-depth/arthritis/art-20047971Yoga Benefits for Arthritis
https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/healthy-living/physical-activity/yoga/yoga-benefits-for-arthritisYoga for Arthritis
https://www.hopkinsarthritis.org/patient-corner/disease-management/yoga-for-arthritis/Rheumatoid arthritis
https://www.pcrm.org/health-topics/arthritisVitamin and Mineral Guide for Arthritis
https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/treatment/complementary-therapies/supplements-and-vitamins/vitamin-and-mineral-guide-for-arthritisWhy and How To Start an Anti-Inflammatory Diet
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/anti-inflammatory-diet/Bianchi VE. Weight loss is a critical factor to reduce inflammation. Clin Nutr ESPEN. 2018;28:21-35. doi:10.1016/j.clnesp.2018.08.007
Acupuncture for Arthritis
https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/treatment/complementary-therapies/natural-therapies/acupuncture-for-arthritisConsumer Views & Use of Massage Therapy
https://www.amtamassage.org/publications/consumer-views-use-of-massage-therapy/Arthritis
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/arthritisHeat Therapy Helps Relax Stiff Joints
https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/healthy-living/managing-pain/pain-relief-solutions/heat-therapy-helps-relax-stiff-jointsCold Therapy for Arthritis: 6 Simple Ways to Do It at Home
https://creakyjoints.org/living-with-arthritis/cold-therapy-for-arthritis/About Arthritis
https://blog.arthritis.org/living-with-arthritis/smoking-risks-ra-oa/Smoking And Rheumatoid Arthritis | NRAS | Smoking and RA.
https://nras.org.uk/resource/smoking/
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