Tips and Treatments for Easing Bone and Joint Pain

Joint pain is a common ailment for many people at various stages of life, but it tends to increase and often becomes more chronic as people age due to damage of the joints from disease or injury. Joint pain is also a result of many health conditions such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gout as well as from sprains, strains and more. Fellowship Square further explores what causes it and how seniors can treat joint pain.

Though some joint pain is caused by injury, infection or underlying disease, joint pain can also be caused by overexertion through heavy physical activity and by just the opposite — lack of use. Joint pain can also be a result of obesity. The discomfort of joint pain is caused by injury of the ligaments or tendons around the joint. 

As mentioned above, one cause of joint pain is obesity. Weight loss can treat joint pain that is caused by obesity. A proper diet and routine exercise program can help seniors shed unwanted pounds that are causing stress and pressure on their joints.

While it seems like exercise would cause more pain to suffering joints, it’s actually a great way to soothe joint pain. Regular exercise increases strength and flexibility, and eases pain and stiffness. According to the Mayo Clinic, exercise “can strengthen the muscles around your joints, help you maintain bone strength….and can help you improve your health and fitness without hurting your joints.” Regular exercise keeps the muscles and surrounding tissue strong, which is important for maintaining bone support and ultimately alleviating stress on the joints. The exercise need not be rigorous, but lack of it can actually make joints even more painful and stiff.

Hot and cold therapies can also reduce joint pain. Hot treatments such as a soothing warm bath or a heating pad applied to the area in pain can help keep joints loose. Cold treatments such as a gel ice pack or even a bag of frozen vegetables applied to the site of pain can help reduce swelling and inflammation.

Massage and meditation are two other remedies that are believed to help with joint pain. Those who practice regular meditation or relaxation techniques may find they can use them to reduce pain by reducing stress — as stress is reduced, inflammation and swelling decrease. The Arthritis Foundation touts the benefits of regular massage as a way to reduce pain and stiffness of arthritis joints and also as a way to increase range of motion. A physical therapist or massage therapist can help focus on reducing joint pain in specific areas.

While natural remedies can be done in the comfort of one’s one home, it’s always a good idea to seek the advice of one’s doctor before starting a different health care program, exercise routine, or self-treating of pain or illness. Fellowship Square encourages seniors that are experiencing joint pain to check with their doctors to ensure there is not a more serious disease that is causing the pain and to find a solution that serves to ease their joint pain.