How you go about your day-to-day life can affect whether or not you experience joint pain. In order to ease and prevent joint pain as much as possible, there are some daily habits you can perform that are detailed below.
Daily Habits to Prevent Joint Pain
Eat breakfast at home: Eating breakfast out or on the go often leads you to unhealthier meal choices with empty calories. Eating unhealthy can trigger inflammation, stiffness, and pain. Take the time to make your own breakfast at home and eat foods that can reduce inflammation rather than promote it.
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Reduce phone time: Texting, checking e-mails, and playing games on your phone overwork those smaller joints in your hands along with the bigger joints in the neck and shoulders, which can lead to pain. Rather than spending a lot of time on your phone, take breaks and be social in real life.
Consume less alcohol: Consuming too much alcohol can increase joint pain by disrupting sleep schedules and increasing your intake of empty calories.
Stretch properly: Stretching for a few minutes a day is a great way to reduce pain and stay mobile. You can stretch first thing in the morning or include a few yoga classes throughout your week.
Find the right activity: So maybe running is painful or you can’t play tennis like you used to – the key is to find an activity you not only enjoy, but that doesn’t put added stress on your joints.
Use ice: To prevent inflammation, especially after an activity, you should apply ice to affected joints. Just avoid placing ice directly on the skin. Use a cloth as a barrier.
Go barefoot: Some shoes can put added stress on your knee joints. If you’re at home, simply go barefoot – sans shoes and socks – in order to get relief from joint pain.
Snack: Having frequent snacks is good for your joints because snacking increases your energy levels. Furthermore, snacking on anti-inflammatory foods can provide further aid in reducing joint pain.
Don’t stress: Stress worsens arthritis, which causes more stress, and so on and so forth. Reducing stress can help reduce joint pain.
Avoid heavy bags: From luggage’s to purses, avoid lifting and carrying heavy bags for prolonged periods of times. Pack light, use wheeled luggage, and don’t carry unnecessary things in your purse.
Get some sun: Low levels of vitamin D can weaken bones and muscle strength, which can increase joint pain. The best source of vitamin D is through sunlight – when experienced safely, of course. Therefore, head outdoors when you can to boost levels of vitamin D naturally.
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Sleep well: Sleep is a time for our body to restore itself, and when we don’t sleep well, it increases inflammation in the body, which triggers further joint pain. Therefore, working on ways to improve your sleep can reduce joint pain.
By incorporating these habits into your daily life, you can experience less joint pain and get back to enjoying life.
Related:
- Ease joint pain with these natural remedies
- Thumb joint pain: Causes and treatment options
- 5 foods to ease joint pain
- Tennis elbow: Natural treatment, causes, symptoms and prevention
Mohan Garikiparithi got his degree in medicine from Osmania University (University of Health Sciences). He practiced clinical medicine for over a decade before he shifted his focus to the field of health communications. During his active practice he served as the head of the Dept. of Microbiology in a diagnostic centre in India. On a three-year communications program in Germany, Mohan developed a keen interest in German Medicine (Homoeopathy), and other alternative systems of medicine. He now advocates treating different medical conditions without the use of traditional drugs. An ardent squash player, Mohan believes in the importance of fitness and wellness.
