Many joint-related problems result in chronic pain that cannot be solved unless drastic measures like surgery are taken. Surgery places large risks in solving these chronic pains and there is no guarantee that the pain will subside after surgery. Because of these issues, many people opt for temporary pain relief options to help them get through the day.
Below are six ways that could help temporarily alleviate joint-related pain. Having many options will better enable you to find the pain relief option that suits your pain relief needs.
Limit Joint Usage
One of the best ways to reduce joint pain is to limit the heavy utilization of the joint. Osteoarthritis is a form of arthritis that is caused by the overuse and general wear and tear associated with extensive utilization of the joint.
When joint pain begins, it is important to listen to your body and take a break rather than pushing through the pain. The human body is amazing in that it can alert you when something is wrong, and all too often people see pain as a nuisance to get past and to try and ignore. In reality, pain is a helpful tool for your body to tell you to slow down and take a break.
When joint pain strikes, the fastest way to relieve the pain and get on a road to a quick recovery is to take it easy and allow your joints the time it needs to heal.
Temperature Therapy
Temperature therapy is a long-utilized method of reducing pain that goes back centuries. Hot rock massages, icing injuries, hot tubs, and more utilize the power of temperature to aid in the relief of pain.
Both cooling and heating areas of pain can reduce pain but they take to significantly different approaches. Below is a breakdown of when to utilize heat therapy vs ice therapy and what both can achieve.
Ice Therapy
Icing injuries is a basic way to get inflammation of injuries under control fast. Applying ice is typically one of the first things to be done when an injury occurs. Icing is effective because it utilizes the body’s natural response to cold and utilizes it to reduce inflammation and the perception of pain.
Ice acts on the body by constricting blood vessels and reducing blood flow to the cold area. This is a protective feature of the human body that is meant to conserve heat to the vital organs in the event of inclement freezing weather. Your body in sub-zero temperatures will slowly limit blood flow to the limbs in an effort to ensure heat is retained to the brain, heart, and other organs. When you ice a wound, you are taking advantage of this response to limit fluid flow to the injured site which will limit inflammation.
Heat Therapy
Many people are familiar with the relaxing effect that a hot bath can have on the body. Heat therapy acts in the complete opposite way of cold therapy. Heat causes an increase in blood flow and therefore can help alleviate pain that is caused by muscle soreness, amongst other things. Many forms of joint pain could actually be caused by surrounding muscle soreness or tightness. Heat therapy is able to alleviate these types of pain.
Both kinds of temperature therapy can be effective ways of managing pain. A general rule of thumb to follow is that icing should be utilized for inflammation-based pain while heat therapy should be reserved for non-inflammation-based pain (usually muscular pain).
Elevation
Elevation is another way that joint pain can temporarily be managed. Much like icing, elevation is the first line of treating pain during injury. Many sports experience an acute joint injury of players. These injuries typically occur within the knee, shoulder, and elbow. Many sports physicians will follow the RICE methodology which stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation. In combination, these can offer temporary but effective inflammation and pain management for acute injuries.
Elevation is effective for not only acute joint injuries but also in temporarily lessening inflammation in generalized joint pain. Elevation works by placing the affected joint above the level of the heart. This allows gravity to push excess fluids and inflammation away from the joint. Reducing inflammation can temporarily reduce the sensation of pain is how elevation can assist with relieving joint pain quickly.
For leg joints, in particular, the utilization of a leg ramp can be an effective way of temporarily reducing inflammation to these joints. A leg ramp positions the legs in a way to maximize the potential benefits limb elevation can bring without compromising comfort or proper circulation.
Over the Counter Pain Relief
Another great way to reduce joint pain is to utilize over the counter pain relievers. This option comes in two forms which include pill and topical options.
Pills – Many people are familiar with over the counter pain relief as they are used to treat a multitude of common issues like headaches or cramp pain. Over the counter, pain relief medication acts internally to decrease the sensation of pain. Pills are swallowed and subsequently digested, so it doesn’t enter the bloodstream until it reaches the intestines. The process from consumption to pain relief can take up to an hour and can be effective at temporarily relieving joint pain, however, it is far from producing quick or lasting relief.
Topicals – Topical analgesics work by applying the pain reliever directly to the surface of the skin in the affected area. The ingredients are able to penetrate the skin and offer targeted temporary pain relief. Hempvana’s pain relief cream line is a great way to achieve fast temporary joint pain relief while giving your skin the TLC it deserves. By blending Trolamine Salicylate with ingredients like hemp seed oil, turmeric, aloe, and more; the cream is able to deliver fast-acting targeted relief all while leaving your skin barrier intact and better than ever.
Chiropractor
Chiropractors are universally known as the medical professionals that crack people’s backs for a living. While this seems to be their main job on the surface, chiropractors are actually trained in the methods of body manipulation to improve people’s joint pain and overall well being. Many spinal joint compressions can achieve temporary relief from a visit to the chiropractor. The temporary relief is achieved through how chiropractors manipulate the joints in the back and relieve compressions through realigning the joints.
Chiropractors are a great way to achieve fast relief from some kinds of joint pain but generally speaking, going to the chiropractor needs to be accompanied by physical therapy, correcting posture, and making lifestyle changes to see lasting improvement.
Medical Assistance
Some kinds of joint pain are really only treatable through the help of medical intervention. If joint pain becomes debilitating or chronic, it is important to speak with your doctor. Chronic or intense joint pain can be indicative of a serious issue that could greatly benefit from something like surgery or medication.
An example of a situation where seeking medical assistance is the best course of action to finding quick joint relief is an individual that has gout. Gout is a condition in which high uric acid levels in the body begin to crystalize within the joints. Gout pain can be immensely painful. If medical attention is attained, an individual can be put on medication to lower their uric acid levels and return to a life without joint pain.
The above example illustrates the importance of seeking medical advice if you think something may be wrong. Doctors spend years of schooling learning about the human body and dysfunctions. Utilizing this expertise is a great use of time and can save you time by not needing to experiment with pain relief solutions as a doctor can tell you what solutions will work best for your specific joint issue.
Conclusion
To summarize, joint pain relief is a difficult problem to solve. With hundreds of different joints in the human body there are so many different ways to achieve pain relief, even if only temporarily. The way you go about joint pain relief depends greatly on where the joint pain is and what is specifically causing the pain. Whether that be muscles, tendons, nerves, or the bones themselves, finding out the root cause of the pain is vital in finding the best pain relief solution for you.
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