Home Remedies to Soothe Arthritis and Chronic Joint Pain

When suffering from arthritis, it’s important to listen to your body’s signs. It’s also crucial to note that the seasons can actually have an effect on chronic joint pain, specifically humid weather. According to Harvard Medical School’s Harvard Health Publications, a recent study linked higher humidity with increased pain and stiffness. But why?

Higher levels of humidity during weather such as a monsoon can affect the body in many ways. For example humidity can thicken the blood, increasing the pressure in the blood vessels, which makes the heart work harder to move the blood throughout the body. When the barometric pressure drops during rainy or damp weather, tendons, ligaments, and muscles expand. That expansion can cause joint pain sufferers to experience irritation in already sensitive areas of the body. Sweating in intensely humid climates can also be problematic because when there is a high level of moisture in the air, it is difficult for the air to absorb the skin’s moisture. This can lead to loss of body fluid and dehydration, which agitates arthritis. In extreme cases, dehydration can also lead to heat exhaustion or heatstroke.

Keeping the body hydrated is extremely important in any weather, but especially in humid climates. It is recommended that joint pain sufferers drink one or two eight-ounce glasses of water for every hour spent exposed to humid conditions to restore fluid levels and reduce water loss.

Swimming is another natural (and fun!) way to ease arthritis, joint, and back pain. A water-therapy program may serve beneficial as well. Additional low-impact exercise, such as bike riding, is easy on those with back or spinal pain. Applying a heating pad on affected areas can also soothe joint and muscle pain. Assistive devices such as shoe inserts, braces, or the use of a cane can help redistribute the body’s weight and can be beneficial for those with arthritic hip or knee pain, specifically. Some may also find that rubbing extra virgin olive oil on sore muscles and joints helps ease pain and stiffness.

Regardless of the “natural” or seemingly harmless elements of at-home remedies, it is recommended that arthritis sufferers seek the counsel of their doctor in terms of additional methods of pain relief. You and your doctor know the specifics of your condition best, and together you can create an at-home treatment plan that’s designed just for you.