Joints are made out of cartilage and connective tissue, linking all of our bones together and helping us move.
Naturally, when these connectors become inflamed or injured, it’s not only really painful but it also affects our mobility and quality of life.
Arthritis, which is an umbrella term that encompasses a number of illnesses that have joint pain as a common symptom, affects around 50 million adult people in the US but also around 300,000 kids, says the CDC.
There may be more than 100 different types of arthritis but they all have one thing in common – they involve a level of joint pain.
If you’re experiencing severe and constant joint pain, make sure to see a medical expert about it but if your pain is milder and you are just looking for some at-home alternative treatment to relieve the discomfort, we have some suggestions!
Medication is critical when it comes to managing arthritis but, according to chronic disease specialist Susan Blum, who is also an assistant clinical professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, lifestyle changes as well as home remedies can also make a significant difference to the way your body feels.
Blum, who has penned ‘Healing Arthritis: The 3-Step Guide To Conquering Arthritis Naturally,’ states that “You need to treat arthritis from a whole body perspective, not just a medical one, which means all facets of wellness, including all that you do at home.”
At the same time, rheumatologist with Sentara RMH Rheumatology in Harrisonburg, Virginia, Don R. Martin points out that at-home treatment should never completely replace medication and that you should always take such remedies with a grain of salt.
This is because many of them are not backed by science at this time and research on the benefits they provide is still limited.
Your best guess involves asking for and following home treatment advice given by a doctor, that will most likely work for you.
Of course, you can also try a little method known as “can’t hurt to try” since most methods, while not proven efficient scientifically, will not make your joint pain any worse.
That being said, here are 4 of the most efficient treatment methods you can try at home!
- Yoga
More precisely, you should try Iyengar yoga since it involves props to support the body and therefore relieve inflammation and tension.
It also focuses on correct anatomical alignment.
One study published in 2013 concluded that participants who attended yoga classes for 6 weeks improved their ability to deal with chronic pain in addition to also improving their overall mood, health and quality of life while the control group saw no changes.
- Hot and Cold Therapy
While polar opposites, heat and cold treatments both tend to reduce joint pain.
This is because heat therapy improves circulation and soothes stiff joints while cold therapy slows circulation, reduces swelling and eventually numbs the achiness by restricting blood vessels.
- Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)
TENS uses sticky pads with electrodes that attach to the skin and provide pain relief by delivering tiny electrical currents to the patient’s body.
- Non-Ionizing Radiation Devices
There are few innovative devices in the market that use science and technological advances in the wellness field all the while being accessible for at-home use.
For instance, Sensonica started to offer a number of products based on measuring parameters of TADF (thermally activated delayed fluorescence). One of its products, Vega, is a portable device that uses what is known as directional non-ionizing radiation in an attempt to reduce chronic pain in joints, tendons, cartilage, ligaments and even muscles. In addition to helping with recovery, Sensonica Vega is a great preventive method so that no severe symptoms needing medical attention appear.
As you can see, there is a number of proven methods to reduce joint pains that can be employed at home, that are safe and comparatively affordable. Have you had a positive experience employing any of these? Share your experience in the comments.
