Discover How to Reduce Joint Pain Naturally

If you are one of the millions of people suffering from joint pain, you understand the frustration of having to deal with this problem on a day to day basis. You probably thought of the possible side effects that you may suffer from taking medications regularly. Worry not; there are some things that you can do to alleviate your pain without relying on medications. It just requires patience and a lot of getting to know your habits and your joint pain a little deeper.

Identify your joint pain
First identify what is causing your joint pain. A fast and easy way to know why you are having joint pain is by consulting your doctor. After a series of tests, your doctor will be able to tell you what is causing your joint pain.

Do you have arthritis? If so what kind of arthritis? There are different forms of arthritis and the most common are rheumatoid arthritis, gouty arthritis, and osteoarthritis. They may be caused by different things, but one thing is common and that is joint pain. Symptoms differ from one form of arthritis to the next. If you are experiencing morning joint stiffness in the morning that lasts more than an hour, you could have rheumatoid arthritis. On the other hand, if the joint stiffness you experience in the morning is shorter than an hour and comes back at the end of the day, you could have osteoarthritis. Swelling of the joint is more common in rheumatoid arthritis while there could be little to no swelling for osteoarthritis. Joint deformity can be seen in rheumatoid arthritis if left unattended. This can also be seen in gouty arthritis, where irregular lumps on the joints can be noticed on the big toes, fingers, elbows and even the ear lobes. This is a deposit of uric acid that the body fails to get rid of. Lastly, injury to the joints and surrounding muscles could also cause joint pain. If you recently had an accident, this could be the culprit to your joint pain. Once again, your doctor will be able to help you pin point the kind of joint pain you have. Do not hesitate to seek help.

How to achieve joint pain relief
The main goal in the treatment of any kind of arthritis is joint pain relief and to avoid further damage to the joint and surrounding tissues. Once you have identified the cause of your joint pain, the next step is to find an effective way to relieve your pain. Different approaches are used to treat different forms of arthritis. For instance, immunosuppression might be used in rheumatoid arthritis. Meanwhile, dietary changes (uric-acid free diet) are required in order to alleviate the symptoms of gouty arthritis. Ideally, the causative factor of the joint pain is dealt with in order to provide joint pain relief. However, there are things that you can do naturally to alleviate joint pain in general. Here are some of them:

1. Weight reduction
Commonly, doctors will advise weight reduction to people suffering from osteoarthritis. However, this could be helpful in most forms of joint pain. The joints, especially the ones on the knees carry your entire weight. The heavier you are the more stress you put on your joints. In the long run, the cartilages and the joint itself can be damaged due to the excess stress.

2. Avoid repetitive movements
Just like weight, repetitive movements also put a lot of stress to the joints. This hastens the wear and tear effect to the joints. If repetitive movements could not be avoided (e.g., as part of your occupation) consider talking to your supervisor. There might be changes that can be made in your workplace to make it easier on your joints.

3. Rest
If you are going up and down online health magazines, such as Glozine Health News, to find the most suitable joint pain relief, the answer might be as simple as taking a rest.If your joint pain is acute in nature, rest could provide you with pain relief. Rest the area for a day and observe if it helps.

4. Hot or cold compress
This is a very simple remedy for sore muscles and joints. See what provides you with most relief, hot or cold. Heat allows the blood vessels to dilate, allowing more blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the area. This is great for joint pains that do not involve swelling. On the other hand, cold constrict blood vessels and has the opposite effects to heat. This could be helpful in reducing swelling.

5. Glucosamine and chondroitin
Glucosamine and chondroitin makes up the cartilagesthat cushion the joints. Unfortunately, we lose these two vital components with age. Glucosamine and chondroitin can be supplemented to the diet. Shells of crustaceans such as shrimps, crayfish, and lobster are abundant in these substances. Some people include this in their soups by grinding it finely. Offal, that includes pig snout, ears, and joints, also contain glucosamine. If the above mentioned food sources does not sound appealing to you, there are supplements that could provide you with these substances.

6. Combat joint pain
You can fight joint pain with jam-packing your body with free-radical-fighting nutrients. Color-filled berries, dark green vegetables, and green tea are among the foods that are high in anti-oxidants.Free radicals can be blamed in many diseases that our generation is experiencing, including joint pain. Free-radicals damage the joints faster than regular aging. Spices such as turmeric, ginger, garlic, and cinnamon are very beneficial in curbing joint pain and damage.