What can be more of an annoyance than the stiff, achy, throbbing sensation of joint pain? All you want to do is enjoy the weekend with your family and/or kids, but even a simple walk around the block has become almost unachievable. Joint pain commonly comes and goes and you may be wondering how to keep it at bay for longer, or how to alleviate the pain when it triggers. To do that, you need to know what stressors are worsening your joint pain. Here are five below:
Certain Food and Beverages
When dealing with joint pain, you are most likely experiencing chronic inflammation in your joints. With inflammation, one of the best ways to alleviate that is through monitoring your diet and avoiding foods that exacerbate inflammation. Foods such as added sugars. When you read the ingredients list, check for sugars. Oftentimes, sugar is renamed and ends with -ose such as sucralose or fructose. If you see this, there is added sugar which causes inflammation.
Other inflammatory food items include:
- Processed Meat / Red Meat
- Alcohol
- Refined Grains
- Artificial sweeteners / additives
- Dairy Products
- Trans-Fats
- Fried Food
While there are inflammatory foods, there are also anti-inflammatory foods that you can consume to lower the inflammation in your body such as:
- Berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)
- Broccoli
- Green Tea
- Turmeric
- Olive Oil
- Dark Chocolate
- Tomatoes
Smoking
There have been many research studies done, concluding that “Smoking may aggravate abdominal pain and joint pain. In fact, smoking may increase pain sensitivity in general.” Smoking can effect your nervous system and increase pain sensation and perception making you more sensitive. Smoking also slows healing and causes pain medication to lose effectiveness, requiring a higher dose to relieve pain.
Living a Sedentary Lifestyle
Your joints need lubrication to remain healthy. Synovial fluid lubricates your joints and is produced by the synovial membrane that surrounds your joints. The fluid is like oil to a door hinge, it allows your bones to move past one another smoothly. When you are active, the fluid moves around giving the joint a healthy dose of oxygen and vital substances. Regularly exercising also teaches your body to produce extra synovial fluid as well.
Stress Itself
When stress occurs in your body, a chemical reaction occurs with your sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system functions like applying full force to the gas pedal of a car. It triggers your fight or flight response, giving your body a burst of energy so that it can respond to perceived dangers. This response causes your heart rate to increase, blood pressure to rise, and muscles to tighten. Your body becomes stressed and hard at work to keep you alert and alive. Keeping your body in this stressful state for prolonged periods of time will take its toll on many aspects of your body, including your joint pain. To help alleviate stress you could identify what triggers your stress and work to avoid it or seek help.
Overweight and/or Obesity
Having excess weight puts added stress on your joints causing unnecessary pain and discomfort. The joints or cartilage, begins to degenerate faster, shrinking the cushion between your joints and causing irritation, pain and swelling. To lose weight, eating health and completing water exercises are your best bet. In water, you get to take the weight off your joints and get all your muscles moving so swimming is the perfect exercise for those with joint pain.
Are You Dealing with Joint Pain? At Eagle Rock Medical Center located in Idaho Falls, Idaho, We service those with joint pain. We offer advanced biomechanical assessments that evaluate the health of your joints and comprehensive nonsurgical therapies to achieve joint preservation. If you want to learn how to maintain healthy joints, call the office or schedule an appointment online today.
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