As joint pain relief specialists, our team at Herald Square Chiropractic and Sport regularly treats people with chronic pain caused by arthritis. We have found that successful living with chronic pain often means more than the treatment you receive in our office.
Overcoming the effects of joint pain requires a commitment to changing your lifestyle and practicing self-care.
Let’s take a look at five ways you can reduce the impact of chronic joint pain on your daily life. These aren’t by any means the only steps you can take, but they’ll provide a starting point that you can build on.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends adding 150 minutes of moderate activity per week as part of an arthritis management program. This might seem counterintuitive if joint pain makes activity difficult.
However, your body is built for mobility, and your natural healing responses require movement to perform their best. Rest is important immediately after an injury, but you should return to normal mobility as soon as it’s feasible.
Choose an activity that affects your joints the least. Low-impact exercise like walking, biking, or swimming is a good choice.
Break up your 150 minutes into manageable chunks, like 15-minute sessions, twice a day. Aim for five days a week to allow your body time to rest.
This is particularly important when your joint pain affects weight-bearing joints like the ankles, knees, and hips. Because of your body’s design, modest amounts of weight loss often dramatically reduce forces on these joints.
Don’t dismiss a 5 or 10-pound weight loss as insignificant. You may be surprised by the pain relief after making this progress.
Talking with our practitioners can help you understand more about your joint functions and how arthritis impacts them. Some activities or exercises may not be right for your condition.
It’s essential to engage your joints’ entire range of motion. Sticking to a single activity, with limited repeated motion, can lead to further joint deterioration or additional inflammation.
If your joints are feeling sore, try to find ways to relieve your pain that don’t include additional medications.
Cold compresses, ice packs, and heating pads are options. Find what works for you and draw on these techniques when you begin feeling pain.
Topical creams with capsaicin can alter the way superficial nerves report to the brain. Products for aches and pains that include camphor or menthol work in a similar way.
Choosing supportive footwear, including custom orthotics, can make a significant difference. Ask to meet with our podiatrist, Dr. John J. Brummer, to be sure you have a solid foundation.
Contact Herald Square Chiropractic and Sport for assistance with an effective chronic pain management plan. Call or click to connect with our Midtown New York City office today.
