5 Tips to Tackle Joint Pain and Improve Mobility

5 Tips to Tackle Joint Pain and Improve Mobility

Do you suffer from joint pain? There are 360 joints in the human body, each of which connects two or more bones. Over time, the cartilage and other supporting tissues within these joints can degrade. When this occurs, it can manifest as pain that limits your mobility. While joint pain is frustrating, though, it can often be prevented. Here are five tips to tackle joint pain and improve mobility.

#1) Choose Low-Impact Exercises

While exercising offers a myriad of health benefits, you need to choose the right type of exercises. Low-impact exercises can strengthen your muscles so that they are able to better protect your joints from painful injuries. High-impact exercises, on the other hand, will place an excessive amount of pressure on your joints, thereby placing you at risk for joint injuries. To prevent joint pain, you should choose low-impact exercises like walking, jogging, swimming or using an elliptical trainer.

#2) Apply a Cold Compress

You can use a cold compress to relieve joint pain. Whether you're experiencing joint pain in your foot, knee, wrist, shoulder or elsewhere in your body, a cold compress will help. Exposure to a cold compress will reduce blood flow to the affected joint. With less blood flowing to it, swelling will decrease within the affected joint.

#3) Reduce Intake of Omega-6s

Adjusting your diet can have a positive impact on your joints. Omega-6s are considered pro-inflammatory compounds. In other words, they promote inflammation when consumed. You can include some omega-6s in your diet without any ill effect. If you consume too many, though, they'll increase swelling within your joints, which could either cause or worsen joint pain.

#4) Increase Intake of Omega-3s

While you should reduce intake your intake of omega-6s if you suffer from joint pain, you should increase your intake of omega-3s. Omega-3s don't have the same pro-inflammatory effects as their omega-6s counterparts. They actually work in the opposite way by reducing inflammation. Omega-3s are anti-inflammatory compounds that reduce swelling, making them ideal for sufferers of joint pain. Foods that contain high levels of omega-3s include fish, nuts, olive oil and seeds.

#5) Get More Calcium and Vitamin D

Omega-3s can help reduce joint pain, but you shouldn't overlook the importance of calcium and vitamin D as well. Calcium, of course, is the building blocks for bone tissue. If you don't get enough calcium, your bones will weaken. In turn, you may experience joint pain. With that said, your body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium. Vitamin D assists with the absorption of calcium so that your body can actually use it.

Sep 3rd 2020

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